Recently I watched Call Me By Your Name – after years – for the second time. I was SO inspired by it and I’m sure I will watch it again very soon. (Note: I finished writing this blog post already and as I’m proofreading this right now, I watched it again two days ago 🙂 )

This film a is piece of art. Everything. Right from the beginning to its very end.

The acting. Phenomenal. The music. Phenomenal. The camera angles. Phenomenal.

Of course there are many ways to look at a movie. Many angles to choose from. Many angles to look at this story.

• The love story between Elio and Oliver
• Gay love and what it means in our society
• The relationship between parents and a child
• Language, culture and religious beliefs

The list could go on and on.

But why am I so inspired by this film? (Not only because I’m a huge fan of Timothée Chamalet 😊 ) but mainly because this film radiated calmness.
La dolce far niente. No big fighting scenes, no loud noise, no special effects. Simple – but powerful – camera movement.

Do you feel like you need to escape your reality?

As I’m quite a hectic person, always rushing from one thing to the next. And this film was what my soul needed.

After days of overthinking and finding solutions for my current living situation, this movie was an “escape”, but in the best way possible. Yes, it’s true that many people want to escape their reality by watching movies and diving into fictional stories to find a way out of their reality. To shut down their thoughts. There are many people who just turn on the TV after work, lay back on the couch and watch movies after movies. Shows after shows. Then, the next day, they get up, go to work, come home and turn on the TV again. Day by day.

But this is not the lifestyle that I’m talking about when I say that this movie was an escape. I think we all can agree that movies (and fictional books!) are a good way to slow down after an exhausting day. Just getting washed over by a fictional story. To a certain extent I think it’s healthy and good. But if TV shows and movies stop us from living our life – from CREATING our life – and only calming us down from a long day so that we can get up the next and work a 9-5 job like a hamster on a wheel, THEN I think it’s not healthy.

The present moment is all we’ve got

But coming back to the actual topic what I wanted to share:

Call Me By Your Name inspired me to live more in the present moment. Although their love story is combined with a lot of sorrow, pain and broken hearts, and sorrow was a topic of this movie, I found it so beautiful to watch. Because it was a slow film. A slow love. A slow way of living. The scenery was simple – a small Italian city in summer – but for me, a person that always likes big city energies, it was grounding to watch. So so grounding.

My hometown in Germany is also not that big. Not a village but also not a big metropolitan city. We have lakes as well, and wide fields and forests. After growing up in Germany (and also after living and spending time in big German cities) I’ve come to the point where I feel I NEED the world. Big cities, international people where events are taking place and opportunities are happening. I would be bored spending time in a rural city in Germany. But now after seeing this movie, I find more joy in the simplest moments again. (Of course, the fact that it’s Italy in the film, adds a lot to it.) But this movie made me realize that the beauty of life can be found in the simplest moments. (I have a friend who is really good in that and I admire her very much for that).

Drinking a coffee in the sun, listening to the sound of the birds, reading a book in the shade, eating fresh fruits from the garden, driving a bicycle on a hot summer day, laying in the grass. All these moments look ROMANTIC in a movie – because it’s a movie. And we see these character from a bird’s eyes perspective. We have music in the background and everything looks so “perfect”. (And still the characters go through A LOT and it’s not always rosy.)

So this is your sign to romanticize your life as well. Enjoy these silent moments of the day. Take a look at the nights sky, see the stars. Listen to the sound of the birds. Walk your feet on the grass.

I love love love to romanticize my life but also I sometimes forget it in the hectic day to day life.

How to romanticize your life

So here is what you can do to romanticize your life:

• Make beautiful playlists that makes you feel like you’re in a movie (play it for example while cooking, doing the dishes or cleaning)
• Go on a walk and picture yourself from the bird’s eyes perspective
• When you’re on a coffee date with a friend or partner imagine this is a film scene and music is playing in the background, and you are the main character.
• Yes, also raindrops on a running down the window seem movie-like. The same is true for long car drives.
  
  Why? Because we always see these scenes in movie. Simple moments that add so much to the story.

Remember that nobody’s life is perfect. Also not the ones in a movie. Especially not the ones in a movie.

Who would love to watch a movie without conflicts, without drama, without challenges for the main character?

Treat your life as if it’s a movie – and you are the main character

If you knew the ending and every part of the plot, you probably wouldn’t watch it, right? So why thinking that you need to have ALL the answers for your life? For your own life movie?

Celebrate the ups and the downs. It’s all a matter of perspective. It all adds up to your story. Your life story. Make it a good one.

“Much in life is simply a matter of perspective. It’s not inherently good or
bad, a success or failure; it’s how we choose to look at things that makes the difference.”

David Niven

Really remember that you are the scriptwriter, the director and the actor. You are the main character.
And yes, you are also an extra in other people’s lives. And in some life movies you are a secondary role. And yes, maybe you also win an Oscar for the best supporting actor. Totally.

But remember that you are the main character of your own movie. You can win an Academy Award for the best “actor” of a leading role. Of YOUR role. In YOUR life.

Make it a good one!

Have you watched Call Me By Your Name? If so, what are your learnings from the film? What do you love about it? What maybe don’t you like about it?

Wishing you lots of love from Mallorca

PS: I used a filter for my photos here that is called “peach” haha. 
{movie reference here, in case you haven’t watched it}