The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Jewish writer Andre Ashmon. The novel tells the emotional relationship between the 17-year-old teenager Ellio and the 24-year-old philosopher Oliver. The book was well received after its publication in 2007, and it has also accumulated a large fan base for the film.
The script of the film was written by the director Luca Guadagnano himself, as well as by James Ivory and the screenwriter Walter Faso, who had co-written "Holiday Surprise" and other scripts with the director. In an interview with the media, the director said that the film is the last part of his "Love and Desire" trilogy, and has undertaken the first two "I Am Love" and "Holiday Surprise". He said that the film will inherit the style of "Holiday Surprise", and there will also be a lot of nudity, and said that this kind of inspiration comes from the 1983 French film "About Us".
