Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino has established his name as one of the most exciting contemporary directors with his consistently impressive filmography: Call Me by Your Name, Suspiria, Bones and All, Challengers, Queer, etc. And while arguably his style has become increasingly distinct over time, the thematic bones of his films remain consistent. Above all, Guadagnino understands how to direct the human body. Across his work, the camera often lingers on intimacy in an almost intrusive fashion, stirring both discomfort and fascination for viewers.
A recurring theme across his filmography is intimacy and longing, an idea is most prominent in his recent release Queer (2024), which explores the lamenting and isolating side of queer infatuation – a theme parallel to his breakout release Call Me by Your Name (2017). One of the most memorable visuals of Queer, is a hand reaching across to feel the warmth of another man’s chair; a private act of desperation to seek human connection. Equally, Elio feeling the material of, and even smelling, Oliver’s used swimming shorts in Call Me by Your Name, is a quietly embarrassing act of desire, one which the characters don’t want us to see, but the camera intrudes nonetheless.
It appears that frequently in Guadagnino’s work, metaphor is used to communicate the human response to desire. His 2022 adaptation of Bones and All, is a romantic horror that uses cannibalism as an extended metaphor for love, and arguably feeling othered by society. By using a form so taboo and visceral, it is near reflective of metaphysical conceit – a literary device where two seemingly unrelated ideas are compared. Yet Guadagnino effortlessly achieves this comparison: the insatiable urge to consume someone entirely is the ultimate form of love.
Challengers (2024), similarly utilises metaphor, comparing tennis and romantic pursuit. As Art and Patrick make their way through sets of the tennis final, the leading player of each set is retroactively the ‘winning’ man after Tashi’s heart. Arguably, the greatest clarity of the status of romantic relationships in the film is communicated through the visual language of tennis. Even when the game isn’t being shown, it’s being played through quick intelligent dialogue, and selfish manipulation.
Social media went as far to label the summer of 2024 as Challenger’s and ‘Brat summer’, pairing the high energy sound of Charlie XCX’s album, with the paciness of Guadagnino’s tennis romance. Furthermore, the filming location of Call Me by Your Name, Crema, is decorated with quotes and references to the film, framing it as a love letter to its setting, and solidifying its relatability to people’s experience of lost love.
Moving forward, Guadagnino is confirmed to be directing a film following Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, titled Artificial, which plays on the culturally significant topic of the increased use of AI. Furthermore, he is rumoured to be directing an American Psycho adaptation, which would mark his directorial return to horror, following Suspiria. Overall, Guadagnino has solidified himself as a refreshing voice in modern cinema, and his upcoming projects should be looked out for.
Image Credits – The Movie DB
