[S]et in the sun-drenched northern Italian countryside in 1983, Luca Guadagnino’s masterpiece Call Me by Your Name is visual poetry: Monet-style dreamscapes brought to life. Now, a new Instagram account ‘Call Me by Monet’, is actually embedding iconic scenes from the coming-of-age picture into Monet paintings. And we’re a bit obsessed. Hunger caught up with the founder of our new go-to feed, 22-year-old Filipino student Mika Labrague, to find out more…
“It’s a passion project that I started out of my love for the novel and the film,” Labrague says. “I got the idea from the novel’s chapter, Monet’s Berm. According to the book, it was the place where Monet used to paint and also where Elio brought Oliver. Then one day, after seeing the film, my friend and I were talking about how the Monet paintings and the setting of the film were very similar and had the same vibe. The lush green trees, the beaches, the flowers, the summer-y vibe of it all.” She adds, “I browsed more of Monet’s paintings and I would be reminded of certain scenes from the film. From there I decided to merge the two masterpieces.”
In less than a month, Labrague has amassed a 19k strong Instagram following. Perhaps unsurprising, considering Call Me by Your Name was one of the most heralded films of the year (not to mention Timothée Chalamet’s 1.4 million Insta-fanbase alone).
What did you enjoy most about the movie? I ask Mika. “Don’t even know where to begin! I love everything about it. I love the story, the characters, the music, the setting…everything! But I guess the best thing about the film is that it tells us different kinds of love story. From Oliver and Elio’s love, to Elio and Marzia’s love, and of course the unconditional love of Mr. and Mrs. Perlman to Elio.”
And yes, she’s a huge Chalamet fan. “Yes we follow him on Instagram and I hope he and Armie [Hammer] notices Call Me by Monet!” Watch this space…
Follow Call Me by Monet Instagram @cmbynmonet.
