WE ARE WHO WE ARE

There is no denying Italian director Luca Guadagnino has a free spirit, analytical way of telling stories. But for those drawing early comparisons between his 2017 masterpiece Call Me By Your Name and his upcoming HBO series We Are Who We Are, you may want to rethink your understanding.

“I will never complain about people’s laziness, but that sounds very lazy. ‘Call Me By Your Name’ is about the past seen through the prism of a cinematic narrative and this is about the here and now. This is about the bodies and souls of now. I think they are so different,” Guadagnino told Variety.

 

We Are Who We Are is a coming of age tale about two Americans living on an Italian military base. The teens — played by Jack Dylan Grazer and Jordan Kristine Seamón — grapple with the effects of the 2016 election and the shockwaves it sends through their life in Italy. Guadagnino highlights the lasting effects it has had four years later. The series, set to debut on September 14, comes less than two months before the upcoming presidential election. 

 

Grazer’s and Seamón’s characters, Fraser and Caitlin, find themselves drawing closer together while on the base as they navigate life. Rapper Kid Cudi plays Caitlin’s father in the 8-part series, while Chloë Sevigny and Alice Braga portray Fraser’s moms.

 

Guadagnino’s leap to TV seems fitting. The director seems to enjoy exploring different formats and ways of storytelling. And if Call Me By Your Name is remade into a series, we won’t stop watching.