Luca Guadagnino Talks 'Call Me By Your Name' And 'Suspiria'

In its quiet simplicity, Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me By Your Name” transfixed audiences and its buzz hasn’t dissipated since its premiere at Sundance earlier this year (our review). Recently, Guadagnino took a break from post-production of his hotly anticipated “Suspiria” remake to stop by the Melbourne Film Festival a few weeks back for a Q&A about the film.

The project was a long road, nearly 10 years in the making; saw its way through different incantations and different directors to finally settle into Luca Guadagnino’s very capable hands. After spellbinding films like “A Bigger Splash” and “I Am Love” (most recently rumored to be attached to “Swan Lake“ starring Felicity Jones) producers strongly encouraged Guadagnino to direct the film although he was initially very resistant to it. “The very last thing I wanted to do was a film about rich people lounging,” Guadagnino says as the audience laughs, “but slowly the film found me.”

It should be interesting to note that “Call Me By Your Name” is somewhat different from Guadagnino’s previous films. The filmmaker explained he was interested in creating a different experience by working with different people and in so doing, would create something new. What’s more, the story itself doesn’t center around an antagonist or a tragedy – it’s the story of two people, in the moment. The tone of “Call Me By Your Name” is non-aggressive and simple, which was Guadagnino’s endeavor. This feeling of directness and simplicity is undoubtedly ushered in by Guadagnino’s expert use of 35mm film as well as the use of just one lens for the whole of the film. The use of a singular lens was surprisingly the influence of David Cronenberg, who is known to use a single lens in his films as well. “It was foreign to me at first,” he said, “but it fortifies the cinema and solidifies the point of view.”

In terms of controversy, Guadagnino is aware of the critiques and controversy surrounding the film but remarked that Sony was “doing a great job in handling this film” and that he was, “humbly witnessing what’s being said without intervention.” He went on to say that he never saw the film as a “gay” movie, but rather a film about the “beauty of the newborn idea of desire, unbiased and uncynical.” Well, based on what we are hearing he may have achieved that.

Finally, “Suspiria” found its way into the conversation and when asked, Guadagnino stated that the film was nearly done and that they were working on finishing up the music (Thom Yorke‘s score), sound, visual effects and the picture will be done in early 2018. “I am trying to get people who don’t see horror films to go see it,” he said with a laugh, “[but] the film is going to be quite disturbing.” Fans are clamoring for new news relating to the remake of this classic horror film and in March Guadagnino mentioned that his version will be decidedly less colorful than the original saying, “It’s a film about guilt and motherhood. It has no primary colors in its color palette, unlike the original. It will be cold, evil and really dark.” While some fans might moan and groan at the prospect of a darker “Suspiria,” they are still very excited to see what Guadagnino comes up with and at a reported two hour and 50 minute run time, though who knows if that ends up the case.

For more on the influence of “Pretty in Pink” and living on the fringe of the MTV generation, listen here.