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We first meet Elio Solis (Yonas Kibreab) curled up beneath a\u00a0booth table of a\u00a0din\u00ader inside a\u00a0muse\u00adum. He\u2019s a\u00a0bit younger than he will be for most of the film, painful\u00adly shy and still reel\u00ading from the recent loss of his par\u00adents. His Aunt Olga (Zoe Sal\u00adda\u00f1a), recent\u00adly and unex\u00adpect\u00aded\u00adly appoint\u00aded as his guardian, is strug\u00adgling to adjust to her new role. While she\u2019s momen\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adly dis\u00adtract\u00aded by a\u00a0col\u00adleague, Elio slips away and stum\u00adbles into an immer\u00adsive exhi\u00adbi\u00adtion on the vast\u00adness of space \u2013 an oth\u00ader\u00adworld\u00adly encounter that will alter the course of his life forever.<\/span><\/p>\n What fol\u00adlows is a\u00a0deep obses\u00adsion with the exis\u00adtence of alien life. Though Elio is no longer shy per se, he remains social\u00adly awk\u00adward and has dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adty form\u00ading friend\u00adships, not nec\u00ades\u00adsar\u00adi\u00adly because his peers dis\u00adlike him, but because he unin\u00adten\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adly dis\u00adtances him\u00adself from them. He har\u00adbors the belief that one day aliens will abduct him, but he\u2019s reluc\u00adtant to share. Sev\u00ader\u00adal rea\u00adsons under\u00adlie Elio\u2019s intense long\u00ading to leave Earth: a\u00a0desire to escape the painful mem\u00ado\u00adries of being orphaned; a\u00a0hope to encounter beings who defy con\u00adven\u00adtion\u00adal norms, and a\u00a0yearn\u00ading to dis\u00adcov\u00ader a\u00a0life beyond the ordi\u00adnary lim\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtions of\u00a0Earth.<\/span><\/p>\n After get\u00adting into a\u00a0fight, Elio is picked up by his Aunt Olga and reluc\u00adtant\u00adly brought along to the mil\u00adi\u00adtary base where she works. Curi\u00adous and defi\u00adant, he fol\u00adlows her into a\u00a0restrict\u00aded meet\u00ading, only to dis\u00adcov\u00ader that aliens have sent a\u00a0mes\u00adsage to Earth. Hid\u00ading in a\u00a0near\u00adby rub\u00adbish bin until the room clears out, Elio seizes the moment. In a\u00a0burst of des\u00adper\u00ada\u00adtion and hope, he records a\u00a0mes\u00adsage of his own, plead\u00ading to the life forms on the oth\u00ader end and shar\u00ading his dream of one day join\u00ading their\u00a0world.<\/span><\/p>\n Not only do the extrater\u00adres\u00adtri\u00adals receive Elio\u2019s mes\u00adsage, but they also respond. Ful\u00adfill\u00ading his wildest dreams, they abduct him and bring him to the Com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adverse, a\u00a0vast inter\u00adplan\u00ade\u00adtary alliance home to count\u00adless intel\u00adli\u00adgent species. But here\u2019s the catch: because Elio was the one to answer their sig\u00adnal, they mis\u00adtak\u00aden\u00adly believe he is the ruler of Earth. Eager to impress the coun\u00adcil of ambas\u00adsadors who gov\u00adern the Com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adverse, Elio assumes the role and does his best to live up to the title. When Lord Grigon (Brad Gar\u00adrett), a\u00a0war\u00adlord of the plan\u00adet Hylurg, threat\u00adens the very exis\u00adtence of the Com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adverse and no one else dares to nego\u00adti\u00adate, Elio ris\u00ades to the chal\u00adlenge, deter\u00admined to pro\u00adtect the one place he final\u00adly hopes to call\u00a0home.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s no sur\u00adprise that as a\u00a0lit\u00ader\u00adal child, Elio would fum\u00adble the nego\u00adti\u00ada\u00adtions, only man\u00adag\u00ading to fur\u00adther enrage Lord Grigon. While secret\u00adly plot\u00adting his escape, he encoun\u00adters Glo\u00adr\u00addon (Remy Edger\u00adly), the silk-worm-like prince of Hylurg and Grigon\u2019s son. Adorable, na\u00efve, and impos\u00adsi\u00adbly sweet, Glo\u00adr\u00addon is the polar oppo\u00adsite of his father. He agrees to return to the Com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adverse, ini\u00adtial\u00adly as a\u00a0pawn in the larg\u00ader diplo\u00admat\u00adic game that Elio refus\u00ades to back down from, but what unfolds instead is a\u00a0heart\u00adwarm\u00ading friend\u00adship between two young out\u00adsiders who, for the first time, begin to feel at home, by each other\u2019s side.<\/span><\/p>\n There are moments when the film feels slight\u00adly clunky, as if cer\u00adtain sto\u00adry ele\u00adments either need\u00aded more time to devel\u00adop or should have been sim\u00adpli\u00adfied. This is most evi\u00addent in the mid\u00addle act, where the con\u00adcept of the Com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adverse, while imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtive, begins to feel over\u00adcom\u00adpli\u00adcat\u00aded. The same applies to its visu\u00adal design \u2013 some\u00adtimes less tru\u00adly is more. The abun\u00addance of col\u00adors and shapes, though ambi\u00adtious, ends up blend\u00ading into a\u00a0styl\u00adis\u00adtic blur. That said, the ani\u00adma\u00adtion remains as tech\u00adni\u00adcal\u00adly impres\u00adsive as audi\u00adences have come to expect from\u00a0Pixar.<\/span><\/p>\n The first act of the film is excep\u00adtion\u00adal and joy\u00adous to watch. Just as com\u00adpelling is any\u00adthing involv\u00ading the friend\u00adship between Elio and Glo\u00adr\u00addon, which ulti\u00admate\u00adly becomes the emo\u00adtion\u00adal core of the sto\u00adry. What tru\u00adly makes the film spe\u00adcial is the remark\u00adable voice work from young actors Yonas Kibreab and Remy Edger\u00adly, who bring their char\u00adac\u00adters to life with strik\u00ading authen\u00adtic\u00adi\u00adty. Their per\u00adfor\u00admances are rich with pas\u00adsion, vul\u00adner\u00ada\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty, and emo\u00adtion\u00adal nuance, con\u00advey\u00ading every\u00adthing from child\u00adlike curios\u00adi\u00adty to pro\u00adfound long\u00ading. It\u2019s through their voic\u00ades that the film\u2019s heart beats strongest, ground\u00ading its fan\u00adtas\u00adti\u00adcal world in some\u00adthing deeply human and moving.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s an unde\u00adni\u00adable charm to this film that makes it easy to be daz\u00adzled by. From its deeply lov\u00adable lead char\u00adac\u00adters, who you can\u2019t help but root for, to delight\u00adful sur\u00adpris\u00ades like a\u00a0per\u00adfect\u00adly timed Talk\u00ading Heads nee\u00addle drop and effort\u00adless moments of humor. But what makes it tru\u00adly spe\u00adcial is its heart\u00adfelt explo\u00adration of uni\u00adver\u00adsal themes like grief, lone\u00adli\u00adness, and the deep human desire to belong. It\u2019s the kind of sto\u00adry that stays with you, gen\u00adtly remind\u00ading us that no mat\u00adter where we come from, we\u2019re all just search\u00ading for connection.<\/span><\/p>\n To keep cel\u00ade\u00adbrat\u00ading the craft of film, we have to rely on the sup\u00adport of our mem\u00adbers. <\/strong><\/i>Join Club LWLies today and receive access to a\u00a0host of benefits.<\/strong><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nGet more Lit\u00adtle White\u00a0Lies<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n