Call Me By Your Name captivated audiences and critics alike, earning accolades such as Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor from the Los Angeles Film Critics Circle. This coming-of-age story, set against the sun-drenched backdrop of northern Italy, delicately portrays the burgeoning romance between Elio (Timothée Chalamet), a pensive 17-year-old, and Oliver (Armie Hammer), his family’s charming older houseguest. The film explores Elio’s emotional awakening during a summer of self-discovery and the complexities of same-sex attraction. However, beyond the central narrative, a persistent, almost unsettling detail buzzes throughout nearly every scene: flies. The constant presence of these ubiquitous insects begs the question: Why Are There So Many Flies in Call Me By Your Name?
The Unmissable Presence of Flies
From the opening scenes to the emotionally charged finale, flies are an inescapable element of the film’s atmosphere. They are seen flitting across Elio’s musical scores as he meticulously transcribes notes, hovering around the breakfast table during family meals, and even intruding upon the film’s poignant final shot. In this extended close-up of Elio’s tear-streaked face as he stares into the fireplace, a fly can be seen dancing across his forehead, shirt, and hair, becoming an almost distracting presence amidst the raw emotion of the scene.
Unlike the source material, André Aciman’s novel, where flies are absent, their prominence in the film seems deliberate. This deviation from the book suggests that director Luca Guadagnino intentionally incorporated flies, potentially imbuing them with symbolic weight or serving a strategic purpose within the film’s visual language. But what could that purpose be?
Literal Explanations: The Italian Summer Setting
One straightforward explanation for the abundance of flies is the film’s setting. Call Me By Your Name is immersed in the lushness of an Italian summer. The film frequently highlights the region’s agricultural bounty, emphasizing the etymology of “apricot” and the sensual symbolism of peaches. This idyllic backdrop, with its fruit-laden trees and sun-drenched days, naturally attracts insects. Flies are simply a realistic byproduct of this environment.
Furthermore, the characters’ actions inadvertently contribute to the fly population. In one scene, Elio casually discards a peach pit onto the floor after indulging in the fruit. Such casual disregard for waste, especially in the heat of summer, would undoubtedly invite unwanted buzzing visitors. In this light, the flies could be interpreted as a realistic detail, a natural consequence of the film’s setting and characters’ habits.
Deeper Meanings: Symbolism of Flies in Art and Film
While a literal interpretation is plausible, the consistent and noticeable presence of flies suggests a deeper symbolic meaning. Throughout art history, flies have been imbued with various symbolic connotations, often leaning towards the darker aspects of life.
Flies as Symbols of Decay and Mortality
Historically, flies have been associated with decay, mortality, and the ephemeral nature of life. In the Dutch Vanitas paintings of the 17th century, flies often served as memento mori, reminding viewers of the transience of earthly pleasures and the inevitability of death. This interpretation aligns with the fleeting nature of Elio and Oliver’s summer romance. Just as a fly’s life is brief, their passionate connection is destined to be short-lived, confined to the summer months. The flies, in this context, could foreshadow the bittersweet ending and the transient nature of their love.
Flies as Symbols of Sin and Carnal Desire
In Christian symbolism, flies have often been linked to “evil, pestilence, and sin,” as noted in the Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in World Art. While Call Me By Your Name doesn’t depict overt “evil,” the flies could symbolize underlying anxieties surrounding desire, particularly in the context of repressed or socially forbidden desires. Flies are attracted to decaying matter, and metaphorically, this could represent the “decay” of innocence or the “festering” of unspoken yearnings. Their association with carrion and waste could also be interpreted as representing the taboo nature of same-sex desire in the film’s setting and time period. The persistent buzzing could be a visual manifestation of the underlying tension and societal constraints surrounding Elio’s burgeoning sexuality.
Director’s Intent: Deliberate or Accidental?
Despite the compelling symbolic interpretations, director Luca Guadagnino has remained silent on the specific meaning of the flies. When approached through a press representative, he declined to offer an explanation. This silence further fuels speculation and suggests that the flies’ presence might be intentionally ambiguous, open to multiple interpretations.
Perhaps Guadagnino intended for the flies to operate on multiple levels, both as a realistic detail of the setting and as a subtle symbolic motif. Just as the best symbols in art are often those that resist definitive explanation, the flies in Call Me By Your Name linger in the viewer’s mind, prompting reflection long after the credits roll. They become a buzzing reminder of the film’s themes of fleeting time, passionate desire, and the complex beauty and melancholy of a summer romance that, like the lifespan of a fly, is destined to end.
Ultimately, the question of “why are there so many flies?” remains open-ended. Whether viewed as a realistic detail or a deliberate symbol, their persistent presence enriches the film’s texture, adding a layer of subtle unease and prompting deeper consideration of its themes. The flies in Call Me By Your Name are more than just pests; they are a buzzing, visual question mark that enhances the film’s evocative and lasting impact.
