Pete and Ghostboy nailed it. Sensual is one of those words overused to the point of meaninglessness, and yet it's so apt here. I could taste the food they were eating, and feel the white sun-baked sheets in Elio's bed when he was alone pining for Oliver. And as Pete said, what struck me most wasn't just Timothee Chalamet owning every frame he's in (and boy does he), but everything that surrounded him. Guadagnino lets every scene breathe, and in doing so allows humanity in. I saw so much PTA in this, didn't you? So many great small moments that are easy to miss, like when Ollie goes for ice in the freezer and finds frozen meat instead. He leaves in a huff but doesn't close the door fully, leaving his grandma to do it for him. I love that shit. Or when Ollie calls his mom for a ride home from the train station, and they share a quiet car ride home. That wrecked me.
I think what some feel as a lull in the middle was necessary. Like where the fuck did Oliver go, I thought, but I was so tapped into Elio's world, and being in love is being alone, so when we see him again, it's magic.
I loved this, and not just because I want to go to Italy and eat fancy breakfasts outside and fuck a teacher and fall in love during a summer and be 17 again. Mainstream gay movies often beat the same 'coming out' drum, but there's no big agenda here. This is an honest and raw love story you revel in, much like Phantom Thread.