We Are Who We Are, debuting Monday night, is a series that you want to keep watching not out of curiosity to find out what happens next, but because of the environment in which it unfolds.

Guadagnino, who created, co-wrote, and directed the series, has eight episodes across which he can drape his narrative, and he embraces the notion of taking his time. Armie Hammer does not dance to a Psychedelic Furs song in this series, but Caitlin (Jordan Kristine Seamón), one of the show’s teen protagonists, does sway sensually to a cover of Laura Branigan’s “Self-Control.”ĭespite these common denominators, We Are Who We Are establishes itself as a different animal, in large part because of its medium. While We Are Who We Are does not contain any scenes that center on peaches, it does include a moment in which two women thrust their hands into a freshly baked apple pie. Like Call Me by Your Name, the cable drama focuses on characters exploring their sexual identities. Like that movie, We Are Who We Are is a coming-of-age story set in Italy. It is impossible to watch We Are Who We Are, the new HBO series from filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, without being reminded from time to time of Guadagnino’s film Call Me by Your Name.

Jack Dylan Grazer and Francesca Scorsese in We Are Who We Are.

Hbo we are who we are