<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $3.5 million </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $41.7 million </Td> </Tr> <P> Call Me by Your Name is a 2017 coming - of - age romantic drama film directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by James Ivory . It is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by André Aciman, and is the final installment in Guadagnino's thematic "Desire" trilogy, after I Am Love (2009) and A Bigger Splash (2015). Set in northern Italy in 1983, Call Me by Your Name chronicles a romantic relationship between 17 - year - old Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet) and his professor father's 24 - year - old graduate - student assistant Oliver (Armie Hammer). The film also stars Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar, Esther Garrel, and Victoire Du Bois . </P> <P> The film began development in 2007 when producers Peter Spears and Howard Rosenman optioned the screen rights to Aciman's novel . Ivory served as the screenwriter and co-producer; he was initially set to co-direct the film but stepped down in 2016 . Guadagnino joined the project as a location consultant and eventually became director and co-producer . The film was financed by several international companies, and principal photography mainly took place in Crema, Italy, in May and June 2016 . The filmmakers spent weeks before production decorating the Villa Albergoni, one of the main filming locations . Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom shot the film on 35 - mm film . </P>

When does call me by your name take place