How a Small Indie Movie Launched Timothée Chalamet’s Career
Timothée Chalamet has been the name on everyone’s lips for the past few years. Considering the multiple box office hits he’s starred in across a wide range of genres, it’s not difficult to see why. From lovelorn Laurie in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women in 2019, an eccentric cannibal named Lee in Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All in 2022, and of course Willy Wonka himself in Paul King’s Wonka this past year, his career has been diverse. His biggest box office role to date, though, would easily be Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part One coming out in 2021 and the second coming out in March of this year. Dune: Part One and Two are interesting in terms of worldbuilding originality, and considering the longevity of the novel’s popularity since its 1965 release, the series has proven extremely successful, with a third installment already in the works. While the series is very successful, the best part of the films is Chalamet’s performance. Despite his oversaturation in the media, he is never boring to watch. His performances often have nuance and subtlety where it is needed. He breathes life into his characters and makes them real.
In the case of his role as Paul Atreides, it’s a joy to watch Paul’s descent into becoming a dictator when beginning as a young boy entering adulthood, suddenly weighed down by a massive responsibility both to his house and to the world as their enemies gain control. While there have been many “chosen one” stories throughout history, many shy away from the realistic aspects of being a messiah, a prophecy. He loses people along the way, both literally when his father is murdered and in regard to relationships, specifically with Zendaya’s character, Chani. Where the story goes from here is up in the air.
Playing a Queer Romance
While Chalamet no doubt is phenomenal in Dune, his craft truly shines through in his breakout role, Elio Pearlman in Call Me By Your Name, Luca Guadgnino’s 2017 indie hit that rocked the world and catapulted Timothee Chalamet into stardom. Call Me By Your Name (sometimes referred to as CMBYN) follows the short but passionate love affair between Elio, a seventeen-year-old son of a university professor and twenty-four-year-old Oliver, a graduate student who stays at their summer house as an assistant to and pupil of his father.
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As with most of his roles, any element of who Chalamet really is off camera is nowhere to be found once the camera is rolling. Although he is straight and was twenty years old at the time the film was shot, he convincingly plays a confused, neurotic, sensitive boy discovering his sexuality and himself as he enters from childhood into adulthood. Chalamet is like a chameleon, perfectly blending into whatever role he finds himself in. CMBYN is almost entirely from Elio’s perspective, with several voiceovers popping up throughout the film that help the audience see into Elio’s often elusive mind.
While Chalamet’s performance is one of the best parts, everything about this film: the cinematography, the screenwriting, and even the sound design draws a person into this beautiful world of a queer love story set in Northern Italy in 1983. It taps into all the senses: the sun shines just right on an apricot, the sound of the lake water laps while Oliver and Elio swim next to each other, the wind slowly swaying the tall grass as they kiss, and the rustle of shirts being pulled off. It’s incredibly seductive. The audience is just as intoxicated by the story as Elio is by Oliver. There is something about this movie that, despite its dubious elements, makes it feel nostalgic and magical, almost a memory of one’s own. Chalamet is Elio, but so is every audience member in one way or another.
An Astonishing Career
Quite frankly, Chalamet is a once-in-a-generation talent. During the credits of Call Me By Your Name, he stares into the fire, remembering the once burning love he and Oliver shared that past summer. This sequence is about four minutes long. It sounds boring, but as always, his performance is engaging. Without uttering a single word, he goes through every emotion Elio has felt throughout the entirety of the film: at first a nostalgic joy that quickly turns into painful loss, which turns into a realization that he’s lost his innocence, then into a bit of anger, either at himself or Oliver, and then a smug smile. Throughout all of this, Chalamet is on the verge of tears, trying desperately to keep it together, and only once allowing a single tear to roll down his cheek. This is an incredible feat for an actor, and one that only the best can accomplish successfully and believably. It brings the character closure, as well as the story. Chalamet has proven himself time and time again, from his first role to his most recent. His success is only going to go up from here.
Call Me By Your Name (2017) Official Sony Pictures Classics Trailer
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Hi! I am a Dramatic Writing and Performing Arts major at SCAD from Puerto Rico. I have an intense passion for all things film, tv, and music. I believe everyone has a story to tell, and putting it out there is the most important.