'Call Me by Your Name' director speaks on criticism over not portraying same-sex intimacy

2017's Call Me by Your Name had won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay but it had run into some controversy back then. The film revolves around the character of a 17-yaar-old boy falling in love with an older man, though the film revolved around homosexuality, it did not feature any same-sex intimate scenes which was criticised by screenwriter James Ivory. Now, the director of the film, Luca Guadagnino has revealed that it was his creative choice to not include the same. 

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Call Me by Your Name director speaks up

Luca Guadagnino was speaking in an interview with The Independent where he put forward his counter-argument to James Ivory's criticism. The director, defending his decision, stated that people who are aware of his previous work would never question whether he is uncomfortable with showcasing nudity, be it of ay gender. However, for Call Me by Your Name, the film's script did not require 'full-frontal male nudity'. 

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The director stated furthermore that Ivory was tone-deaf to the entire situation. James Ivory had worked on the first draft of Call Me by Your Name which was later picked up by Luca and his editor. The director stated that maybe the version Ivory of the film wrote required the film to have same-sex intimate scenes, but his version did not. But this is not the only criticism over the film which the director cleared up. 

Image courtesy - Call Me by Your Name poster

In the past few years, Hollywood has been accused of casting straight actors for the role of LGBTQ+ characters. Talking about the matter, Luca stated that he has no right to ask whether any of the actors he cast is straight or not. He stated the example of Armie Hammer, who plays the role of Oliver in the film, saying that the actor is a straight male with wife and kids but he as a filmmaker, cannot swear on someone's sexuality or identity to cast them in a film. The director stated in conclusion that he cannot cast a homosexual man to play the character of Oliver, but he rather has to find an actor who fits the character. 

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