Call Me by Your Name Page #3

He pauses to draw breath, then continues, warming to his

subject.

PERLMAN (CONT’D)

It’s amazing that today in Israel

and many Arab countries the fruit

is referred to by a totally

different name:
‘mishmish’.

ANNELLA:

When we visited Persia they called

it Zardoulou.

PROFESSOR PERLMAN, shrugging, spreads his hands as if to say,

‘Who can ever tell about these matters of present-day

etymology?’. Through all this OLIVER has been listening

carefully.

OLIVER:

I beg to differ.

PERLMAN:

Ah?

OLIVER:

The word is not actually an Arabic

word.

PERLMAN:

How so?

ELIO and ANNELLA listen carefully, surprised.

OLIVER:

It’s a long story, so bear with me,

Pro. Many Latin words are derived

from the Greek. In the case of

‘apricot’, however, it’s the other

way around.

(he throws a quick, amused

look at ELIO)

Here the Greek takes over from

Latin. The Latin word was praecoquum, from pre-coquere, precook,

to ripen early, as in

precocious, meaning premature.

The others take this in. ANNELLA is clearly charmed.

OLIVER (CONT’D) TheByzantines -to go on -borrowedpraecox, and it became prekokkia

or berikokki, which is finallyhow the Arabs must have

inherited it as al-barquq.

Revision7.

There is a moment of silence. ELIO and ANNELLA look at

Perlman.

OLIVER (CONT’D)

Courtesy Philology 101.

PERLMAN:

(somewhat under hisbreath)

He’s right, he’s right.

ANNELLA, unable to resist, reaches out to OLIVER and ruffles

his hair, laughing.

ELIO applauds.

ELIO:

He does it every year...

ANNELLA:

Every year.

PERLMAN:

I was testing you.

12 EXT. ROAD TO CREMA -DAY 12

ELIO and OLIVER are riding bicycles, with Elio in the lead.

They go along the main road towards the town of Crema and its

bank. The day is already hot.

13 EXT. CAFE -CREMA TOWN SQUARE -DAY 13 *

ELIO and OLIVER are sitting at the little cafe with iron

chairs and tables, drinking coffee. OLIVER examines bank

application forms, then folds them up and puts them in his

knapsack. He looks around the almost empty square.

OLIVER:

What does one do around here?

ELIO:

Nothing. Wait for summer to end.

OLIVER:

What do you do in the winter, then?

Don’t tell me:
wait for summer,

right?

ELIO:

We come here only for Christmas and

some other vacation..

OLIVER:

Christmas?

8.

ELIO:

And Easter too. We are Jewish,

English, American, Italian,

French... somewhat atypical.

Besides my family you are probablythe only other Jew who has set foot

in this town.

OLIVER:

I am from a small town in New

England. I know what its like to be

the odd Jew out.(beat) And what

else do you do here in summer,

besides this?

ELIO smiles, says nothing. They both laugh.

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