CALL ME BY YOUR NAME Screenplay by James Ivory Based on the novel by Andre Aciman 1 INT. ELIO’S/OLIVER’S ROOM - PERLMAN VILLA - DAY 1 The sound of an approaching car. ELIO, 17, barefoot and in his bathing suit, is in the process of moving his clothes from his room to the adjacent room - a cramped storage room somehow refurbished into a single bedroom. The two rooms are separated by a ruined wooden door, with cracks all over it and share a common bathroom. MARZIA, a girl of about his same age, is lying on the bed. It is obvious both have been on it together. ELIO goes to the window and looks down. A car pulls up below, blowing up clouds of dust, and stops at the villa’s main entrance. A tall young man steps out of the car, wearing a billowy bright blue shirt with a wide-open collar, sunglasses. This is OLIVER, 25. ELIO (in French to Marzia) L'usurpateur. (The usurper) MARZIA jumps up to come stand next to him, looking down. ANCHISE, the gardener and handyman, appears below followed by the PERLMANS who introduce themselves to Oliver. Professor PERLMAN is in his fifties, distinguished, vigorous. ANNELLA, his wife, is in her mid-forties. PERLMAN (to Oliver) Welcome! Welcome! Oh, my, you are much bigger than your picture! ANNELLA (in Italian to her husband) Dove è Elio? (Where’s Elio?) ELIO (in French to Marzia) Il faut que je descende. (I’d better go down.) 2 INT. STAIRCASE - PERLMAN VILLA - DAY 2 At the end of the stairs ELIO sees OLIVER being walked to Professor Perlman’s study. Oliver’s suitcase and backpack lie on the floor nearby. ANNELLA sees Elio approaching and gestures towards them. 2. ANNELLA (in Italian) Aiuta Oliver a portare le sue cose in camera tua. (Help bring Oliver’s things up to your room.) 3 INT. PROFESSOR PERLMAN’S STUDY - PERLMAN VILLA - DAY 3 ELIO enters his father’s studio. OLIVER, sitting on the sofa, is having a glass of fresh water. Even if exhausted by the heat, he remains elegant and somewhat iconic. Professor PERLMAN introduces the two formally. PERLMAN Elio, Oliver. Oliver, Elio. They shake hands. ELIO Hello. OLIVER (non committal) Hi. PERLMAN (to Oliver) Make yourself at home. Our house is your house. 4 INT. STAIRCASE - PERLMAN VILLA - DAY 4 They head up the stairs together; ELIO lunges for the heavy suitcase, OLIVER takes the backpack. ELIO An my room is now your room. I’ll be next door. They meet MARZIA coming down. More introductions in the middle of the stairs. She kisses OLIVER on both cheeks. OLIVER is curious about her and looks back as he continues up. She looks back after he does. 5 INT. OLIVER’S ROOM - PERLMAN VILLA - DAY 5 They enter Oliver’s bedroom. OLIVER drops his backpack and crashes on the bed, exhausted. ELIO lays the suitcase next to the bed. 3. ELIO We're sharing the bathroom. It's my only way out... But Oliver is not listening, already asleep. Elio walks out and closes the door that separates their two rooms. 6 INT. STAIRCASE - PERLMAN VILLA - DUSK 6 Later. MAFALDA, at the bottom of the stairs, rings a bell. She looks up the stairs and, getting no response, rings the bell again. 7 INT. ELIO’S/OLIVER’S ROOM/BATHROOM - PERLMAN VILLA - DUSK 7 ELIO is at the desk in his small “new” bedroom; he is transcribing music. Next to his desk lamp a Sony Walkman is playing music. He hears the bell. He enters the bathroom and the door that connects it to the other room is open. OLIVER sleeps in the dim light of sunset. ELIO We’re being called to dinner. No answer. Elio enters Oliver's room and reaches over to the bookshelf, takes a book from it but then drops it on the floor. It makes a sharp clatter. Oliver is briskly awoken. ELIO (CONT’D) (embarrassed) We’re being called to dinner. Oliver looks up from his pillow scarcely knowing where he is. OLIVER Later. I’ll have to pass. (beat) Can you make my excuses to your mother? Elio, backing out of the door with the book, nods that he will. Oliver looks around for a moment. OLIVER (CONT’D) So, this is usually your room.. About to shut the door, ELIO nods. OLIVER (CONT’D) Thanks, buddy. 4. Oliver turns and goes back to sleep. Elio closes the door, leaving the room in almost complete darkness. 8 INT. STAIRCASE/BOCCHIRALE - PERLMAN VILLA - DAY 8 The following day. OLIVER is coming down the stairs. Not knowing where to go, he listens for the Perlmans' voices until he sees, through a corridor, the kitchen. Just beyond it, outside in the garden, he can see the family having breakfast. 9 EXT. GARDEN IN FRONT OF THE KITCHEN - PERLMAN VILLA - DAY 9 The PERLMANS are eating breakfast outside, in front of the kitchen. OLIVER comes out and sits down, watching how ELIO expertly cracks his soft-boiled egg shell, then attempts to do the same, but only a tiny bit of the shell is pierced, so he pretends to busy himself with his coffee and pushes the egg in its cup away. MAFALDA asks him if he would like juice. He says “Please”. She looks down at the discarded egg. MAFALDA Lasci fare a me, Signore. (Let me) She slices the top off and returns to her kitchen. ANNELLA Did you recover from your trip, caro? OLIVER Big time. ELIO, who has been trying not to stare at their guest and is concentrating on spreading honey on a piece of bread, now lifts his head and speaks, growing unnaturally loud: ELIO I can show you around. OLIVER Good. Are we far from the town? I need to open a bank account. Both Professor PERLMAN and ANNELLA look up, interested. 5. PERLMAN (smiling) None of our residents has ever had a local bank account. Elio turns in his seat to get a better view of Oliver, who is sitting beside him. ELIO Should I take him to Montodine? PERLMAN I’m think they’re closed for summer vacation. Try Crema. OLIVER Is that your orchard? PERLMAN Pesca, ciliege, albicocche... (peaches, cherries, apricots...) ANNELLA Pomegranate. Mafalda returns with a pitcher of apricot juice on a little tray and proceeds to fill Oliver’s glass. Oliver tastes it, then enthusiastically downs it. Elio realizes he is staring at Oliver, his head tipped back with his throat swallowing the juice, and notices the Star of David on a necklace around his neck. He lowers his eyes. ANNELLA (CONT’D) Have another egg. OLIVER (shaking his head) I know myself. If I have three, I’ll have a fourth, and more. Elio has never heard someone Oliver’s age say, I know myself. It’s somewhat intimidating. ELIO Should we take Anchise’s bikes? 10 EXT. ROAD TO CREMA - DAY 10 ELIO and OLIVER are riding bicycles, with Elio in the lead. They go along the country road towards the town of Crema and its bank. 6. The day is already hot. The countryside shines under the soft sunlight of the Po Valley. 11 EXT. CAFE - CREMA TOWN SQUARE - DAY 11 ELIO and OLIVER are sitting at the little cafe with iron chairs and tables, drinking coffee. OLIVER examines bank application forms, then folds them up and puts them in his knapsack. He looks around the almost empty square. OLIVER What does one do around here? ELIO Nothing. Wait for summer to end. OLIVER What do you do in the winter, then? Don’t tell me: wait for summer, right? ELIO We come here only for Christmas and some other vacation.. OLIVER Christmas? ELIO And Easter too. We are Jewish, English, American, Italian, French... somewhat atypical. Besides my family you are probably the only other Jew who has set foot in this town. OLIVER I am from a small town in New England. I know what its like to be the odd Jew out.(Beat) And what else do you do here in summer, besides this? ELIO smiles, says nothing. They both laugh. OLIVER (CONT’D) What do you do? ELIO Transcribe music. Read books. Swim at the river. Go out at night. 7. OLIVER takes this in, his eyes hidden by dark sunglasses as he gathers up his things, cutting their conversation off. They silently reclaim their bikes. OLIVER seems to be miles away, but as ELIO is getting on his bike, he loses balance for a moment and OLIVER puts his arm around Elio’s shoulder, steadying him. He then speeds off, saying “Later”, leaving ELIO on his own. 12 INT. PROFESSOR PERLMAN’S STUDY - PERLMAN VILLA - DAY 12 PERLMAN is attempting to devise a new filing system for his correspondence; there are packs of letters lying about and open boxes with more letters. OLIVER is helping him and ELIO is with them. ANNELLA enters carrying a little tray with a pitcher of more apricot juice which she pours out into glasses. Everyone has some; OLIVER downs his in a gulp. He smacks his lips, says “Ah!”. Annella looks at him amused. Elio looks at his father, already knowing what he’ll say. PERLMAN The word apricot comes from the Arabic - it’s like the words “algebra”, “alchemy”, and “alcohol”. It derives from an Arabic noun combined with the Arabic article ‘al-’ before it. The origin of our Italian ‘albicocca’ was ‘al-barquq’... He pauses to draw breath, then continues, warming to his subject. PERLMAN (CONT’D) It’s amazing that today in Israel and many Arab countries the fruit is referred to by a totally different name: ‘mishmish’. Through all this OLIVER has been listening carefully. OLIVER I beg to differ. PERLMAN Ah? 8. OLIVER The word is not actually an Arabic word. PERLMAN How so? ELIO and ANNELLA listen carefully. They have seen all this happening in the past. OLIVER It’s a long story, so bear with me, Pro. Many Latin words are derived from the Greek. In the case of ‘apricot’, however, it’s the other way around. (he throws a quick, amused look at ELIO) Here the Greek takes over from Latin. The Latin word was praecoquum, from pre-coquere, pre- cook, to ripen early, as in precocious, meaning premature. The Byzantines - to go on - borrowed praecox, and it became prekokkia or berikokki, which is finally how the Arabs must have inherited it as al-barquq. There is a moment of silence. Elio and Annella look at Perlman. OLIVER (CONT’D) Courtesy Philology 101. PERLMAN (bemused) Passes with flying colors. ANNELLA, unable to resist, starts laughing. ELIO (to Oliver about his father) He does this every year... Oliver smiles, shaking his head. DISSOLVE. 13 EXT. STREETS/CARD CAFE - TOWN STREET - DAY 13 OLIVER and ELIO walk down a street; OLIVER steps into a small bar. 9. Some men inside are sitting at two or three tables with playing cards. Waiters bring coffee and other drinks to the customers, the place is lively. Some of the men look up and nod at OLIVER. They know him. A game is starting at one of the tables and OLIVER is asked to join. He sits down to play. ELIO How did you know about this place? Oliver winks. ELIO pulls up a chair and sits, spectating. The cards are dealt. OLIVER, accepted at once, treats his fellow PLAYERS as equals. Despite being a ‘rich’ American ‘intellectual’, a guest at the villa of one of the area’s richest men, he has the ‘common touch’. 14 EXT. MAIN ENTRANCE LAWN - PERLMAN VILLA - AFTERNOON 14 A few of ELIO’S FRIENDS play a volleyball game in a makeshift court set up on the lawn by the main entrance of the villa. OLIVER is playing with CHIARA, MARZIA’s slightly older sister, and another BOY. The three make up one side of the game, while the opposing team is made up of THREE OTHERS we haven't met. ELIO sits on the side with MARZIA and another friend MARIA. All eyes are on OLIVER, the glamorous American who has unexpectedly dropped into their midst. MARZIA and her friend ask questions about him. MARZIA (in Italian) Sicuramente è meglio di quello dell’anno scorso, ti ricordi? (He’s certainly a big improvement from last year, do you remember?) ELIO and MARZIA laugh. MARIA (in Italian) Molto meglio. Guarda che fico! (Much better! Look how cool he is!) ELIO, bored and put off, gets up and goes to a nearby table under the lime trees, on it is some fresh fruit and a bottle of cold water.