The peach (Symbol)
In one particularly libidinous moment, Elio rips a peach's pit out and penetrates it in order to masturbate. The Perlmans' house is situated in an abundant orchard, filled with fruit trees. This sequence symbolizes Elio's sexuality, in all its messy sweetness—the fact that he feels so enlivened by his desire for Oliver, as well as the "forbidden" quality of his homosexuality. He is corrupted by his desire, like Eve in the Garden of Eden, and he follows his body's impulses wherever they take him. The peach, filled with his semen, represents his un-tame-able sexuality and libido.
The statue (Symbol)
At one point, Perlman brings Elio and Oliver to dredge up an ancient statue that some of his research assistants have found in a nearby body of water. The statue is of a beautiful and fit naked boy, and as Perlman tells them, was a gift from a count to his lover. The statue is a real representation and also a symbol of male beauty, homoerotic attraction, and love. Oliver, Elio, and Perlman all stare at the statue in awe, with grins on their faces, marveling at its beauty and what it represents.
Music (Motif)
Music is a central motif in the film, as Elio is a voracious student of music, both interpreting compositions on the piano and guitar, as well as writing his own. He has a deep love for music, and his playing is one of the gateways through which Oliver begins interacting with him. Additionally, the score of the film, handpicked by director Luca Guadagnino, is a compilation of contemporary piano music, often frenzied and dissonant compositions that underscore the intense and unpredictable feelings between the two men.
Star of David Necklace (Symbol)
Throughout the film, Oliver wears a star of David necklace, representing his loyalty to his Jewish faith. In one conversation between them, Elio tells Oliver that he used to wear one, but that his mother told him they were "Jews of discretion," so he stopped. After embarking on the affair with Oliver, Elio begins wearing his star of David necklace again, a personal detail which does not go unnoticed by his mother. The necklace represents not only Elio's investment in his faith and culture, but also his growing investment in Oliver, a more conspicuously Jewish man whom he loves.
Oliver's shirt (Symbol)
After they embark on an affair, Elio frets about its ending, and asks Oliver to leave behind the shirt he was wearing when he first arrived at the house as a memento. Oliver obliges, and on the day he is to leave for Rome, hangs the shirt at the bottom of Elio's bed. The shirt represents the love shared between the two men, and the fact that in having had an affair, the two of them have to some extent merged their identities.
