This ‘Call Me By Your Name’ edit gives it the happy ending you really wanted

The acclaimed gay film, which has been nominated for several awards this year, introduced audiences to the endearing romance between Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer), before shattering their collective hearts into a million pieces at the end of the film when they separate and grow apart.

Tragic endings in queer cinema are nothing new; from Moonlight to Blue is the Warmest Colour to Brokeback Mountain, nearly all the great gay romances conclude with the lead characters living (or dying) unhappily ever after.

It might be more artistic and awards-friendly to make your characters miserable, but really, as in life, sometimes we just want things to work out.

And that’s exactly what YouTube cinema fan spaceyume has delivered.

The channel posted a clever Call Me By Your Name edit this month, which blends footage from the film with other clips to give audiences the happy ending they want.

In the revised ending, Oliver is shown proposing to Elio, with the pair opting to stay together against the odds. The clip then flashes forward to 60 years later, showing that the two characters had grown old together, never spending a day apart.

The narrator says: “Good day or bad, whether we agree or disagree, we never miss lunch or dinner together. He was, and would forever remain, my brother, my friend, my husband, my lover, myself. We have always known we had found the stars, you and I, and this is given once only.”

The edit utilises footage of Hammer from Dustin Lance Black film, J. Edgar, as well as narration from the Call Me By Your Name audiobook, to make the ending convincing.

Fans were happy to see the clip that their hearts had wanted, with no long scene of Chalamet crying in front of a fireplace in sight. One wrote: “Hope there is no sequel for this beautiful perfect film, because it will never be as good as this. For me Elio and Oliver will Always be together.”

Another added: “I’m happy now. I’ve been so heartbroken for the past four days after watching the film, and thinking about this warmed my heart again.”

Fans who wish for Elio and Oliver to be reunited may not have to settle for YouTube edits for long, however.