I recently watched The Hand of God, which came out in 2021, and I could not help but think of how similar it is to the 2017 film, Call Me By Your Name. I loved Call Me By Your Name when I first watched it, so much so that I read the first book. And after watching The Hand of God, I noticed that they share similar themes, characters, and overall vibes. 

Both films follow the story of a young boy growing up in Italy, experiencing his first love and learning about what kind of person he wants to be. They also both share the same ideas around the importance of family and how to cope with loss. For Elio, it is the loss of the person he loved, a researcher for his father who lived with the family; when he left, Elio was alone and did not see him again. However, for Fabieto, the death of his parents, which occurs halfway through the film, leaves him lost in an empty house trying to learn how to grow up without them.

While each is different, the characters feel a similar sense of grief and must learn to live with it without letting it consume them. Now here is where the films differ: by the end of Call Me By Your Name, Elio has not recovered, even with the support of his family. No one can understand what he feels, and that leaves him broken. This ending is very different from Fabieto’s because, in order to move on, he leaves home to pursue his dream. While he mourns his parents, he is able to cope with grief. This is especially because of his brother, who understands what he feels, even if he is not always there to help him. 

While both films share many factors, they can still be seen separately. For me, I see The Hand of God as a story more about family, grief, and growth than anything else. In contrast, Call Me By Your Name is more personal and focused on experiencing love deeply and painfully.