Movie Review - Elegy

I had to look up the meaning of elegy, I am not ashamed to admit.

Elegy - poem of mourning; lament for the dead; reflection of something strange or mysterious to the writer.

Given that the movie was based on Philip Roth's "The Dying Animal", it was strange to me that Isabel Coixet would adopt the name Elegy for the film.

But it was. It haunted me for days, this film. Took over my dream life for a while even. It was truly a tale of lament, of how we mourn loss, even when we cause it. And it defies understanding.

Quick Synopsis - David Kapesh was a successful writer/ college professor who is mesmerised by Consuela Castillo, whose relationship with him suddenly renders him insecure, jealous and unsure of what he wants from the relationship. He is plagued by the age difference, her perfect beauty and his fear that she will soon leave him. When she does leave him, he is shattered by her absence.

Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz were so believable as a older man- younger woman couple that it almost made me cry. I read so many reviews that talked about how they had no chemistry etc, but that just tells me that they don't have the personal experience. I do, and that's exactly what it's like. There is a degree of aloofness that comes from sheer disbelief that this beautiful, young woman/ mature desirable man chose you and is actually with you. I can't quite explain it, but it does happen.

My favourite scenes though, were not between David and Consuela, but rather David and his best friend George O'Hearn (Dennis Hopper). George is David's long suffering companion, "the Horatio to his third-rate Hamlet", as he so aptly put it. The friendship between the two men, the equality of their intellect, their subtle trust and dependency on each other, and mostly their ability to reveal their innermost fears and weakness to each other struck a chord with me. Seldom do you hear of men sharing that level of intimacy with each other.

The performances of the other characters were brillant, adding the needed layers to the Kingsley character. Patricia Clarkson was amazing as his booty call (or was he hers?), and Peter Sarsgaard as Kapesh's son who had his own demons was a pathetic character you just want to either hug or slap. But brillantly played.

I truly enjoyed this movie, it resonated with me in a way it won't for many. But having had the expeience at least twice in my life, I think Elegy is a true portrayal of the relationships that people feel most vulnerable in.