Elegy (B or 3/4 stars)
'Elegy', directed by Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet, tells the passionate story of a celebrated college professor & a young student whose beauty both ravishes & paralyzes him (emotionally). In his 60's, David (Ben Kingsley) can't comprehend why the gorgeous Consuela (Penelope Cruz) would want anything to do with him. He has always been a sexually-possessive person. But her mild-mannered, unassuming way has got him thoroughly perplexed. Can their initially casual relationship turn into something more lasting? Or will he retreat from 'love', as he always has? I'm having a hard time recommending 'Elegy'. It's brilliantly acted, & full of interesting themes. But it's also slow, sad & sometimes uneven. Overall, I give it thumbs up because I was affected by it.
David Kepesh is a professor of cultural criticism with a history of having abbreviated affairs {not very likeable, huh?}. His latest victim is Consuela Castillo, a student, & daughter of some well-off Cuban-American parents. Consuela is a beautiful woman. She knows she is, but according to David, 'doesn't know how to use it just yet'. After having thrown a party for all his students, it doesn't take long for these 2 to start an erotic affair. He is older, wiser & sure of himself. She is gorgeous, but vulnerable. And something happens to them which David can't comprehend ... their relationship extends past a 1-night stand. He's never felt this way about anyone (even with his ex-wife, which bore him one son, played by Peter Saarsgard,). This pang of 'love' makes him feel jealousy & distrust for the 1st time in his life, and he doesn't like it. His best pal, George (a solid Dennis Hopper) even urges him to cut-off the relationship now before he's humiliated.
For all David knows, Consuela will see the light, dump him, & move on to someone younger. But he's so clouded in his own selfishness to realize that she really truly loves him. And after doing something which indirectly ends the relationship, he descends into a state of existential depression. i.e., how much time do I have left? Did I break her heart? What have I done? Has my habit of non-chalantly discarding women finally caught up with me, emotionally? It's his obsession with age which nearly does him in. His insecurities bubble to the surface. His loved one's are either dying, or abandoning him. And he's left to contemplate not only his entire life, and what's it's amounted to, but if he ruined his only real shot at lasting love. Something macabre brings Consuela & David back together near the end of the film. And with an air of uncertainty hanging about them, can he ever overcome his non-committal fears to relish their precious time together?
'Elegy' is an impressive, immersive, but somber movie about love, beauty, & mortality. It's melancholic, so don't watch this for a pick-me-up. But it IS rewarding in ways that you may not expect. David has an inability to love. This has destroyed him in the past, & it's destroying him throughout the course of the movie. He's smart, stately, but terrified of old age & death; this makes him an enigma when it comes to relationships. Consuela personifies youth, & a sense of timelessness. He thinks his age will prevent her from wanting him. And it's interesting to contemplate how he'll react to his given situation when the screen goes black & the credits roll. I wouldn't call 'Elegy' compelling. But you DO actively think about David, Consuela, and what will become of them long after it's over.
Kingsley gives a great performance. Because David's not likeable, it takes a while for us to realize what a full-bodied character he really is; a flawed man who abandoned his son, & has always lied to women; including a long-term lover (played with great realism by Patricia Clarkson). Penelope Cruz is quietly seductive, & quite beguiling as Consuela. Though she has a fair share of nude scenes, none of them are exploitative. And her most powerful (and vulnerable) moments come when Consuela is fully clothed. I am officially impressed by her evolution as an actress (in both Spanish & English roles). One actor I was not too fond of, sorry to say, is the normally rock-solid Peter Saarsgard. It's a somewhat cliched performance.
'Elegy' is not the most interesting, original, or riveting movie you'll see; even within its own genre. Some scenes drag on, a bit. Some are too heavy. Some are downright joyless. But it's the acting that pulls us through. I was unexpectedly moved by the portrayals and the script (sometimes out of nowhere). We wind up caring about these individuals; even though some of them aren't that pleasant. The movie takes it's time to sink into our brain, almost like a poem ... which is why its title is apropos. I can't put my finger on why I'm not completely sold on it, but 'Elegy' IS the type of film that will hit some people. I was intermittently hit.
David Kepesh is a professor of cultural criticism with a history of having abbreviated affairs {not very likeable, huh?}. His latest victim is Consuela Castillo, a student, & daughter of some well-off Cuban-American parents. Consuela is a beautiful woman. She knows she is, but according to David, 'doesn't know how to use it just yet'. After having thrown a party for all his students, it doesn't take long for these 2 to start an erotic affair. He is older, wiser & sure of himself. She is gorgeous, but vulnerable. And something happens to them which David can't comprehend ... their relationship extends past a 1-night stand. He's never felt this way about anyone (even with his ex-wife, which bore him one son, played by Peter Saarsgard,). This pang of 'love' makes him feel jealousy & distrust for the 1st time in his life, and he doesn't like it. His best pal, George (a solid Dennis Hopper) even urges him to cut-off the relationship now before he's humiliated.
For all David knows, Consuela will see the light, dump him, & move on to someone younger. But he's so clouded in his own selfishness to realize that she really truly loves him. And after doing something which indirectly ends the relationship, he descends into a state of existential depression. i.e., how much time do I have left? Did I break her heart? What have I done? Has my habit of non-chalantly discarding women finally caught up with me, emotionally? It's his obsession with age which nearly does him in. His insecurities bubble to the surface. His loved one's are either dying, or abandoning him. And he's left to contemplate not only his entire life, and what's it's amounted to, but if he ruined his only real shot at lasting love. Something macabre brings Consuela & David back together near the end of the film. And with an air of uncertainty hanging about them, can he ever overcome his non-committal fears to relish their precious time together?
'Elegy' is an impressive, immersive, but somber movie about love, beauty, & mortality. It's melancholic, so don't watch this for a pick-me-up. But it IS rewarding in ways that you may not expect. David has an inability to love. This has destroyed him in the past, & it's destroying him throughout the course of the movie. He's smart, stately, but terrified of old age & death; this makes him an enigma when it comes to relationships. Consuela personifies youth, & a sense of timelessness. He thinks his age will prevent her from wanting him. And it's interesting to contemplate how he'll react to his given situation when the screen goes black & the credits roll. I wouldn't call 'Elegy' compelling. But you DO actively think about David, Consuela, and what will become of them long after it's over.
Kingsley gives a great performance. Because David's not likeable, it takes a while for us to realize what a full-bodied character he really is; a flawed man who abandoned his son, & has always lied to women; including a long-term lover (played with great realism by Patricia Clarkson). Penelope Cruz is quietly seductive, & quite beguiling as Consuela. Though she has a fair share of nude scenes, none of them are exploitative. And her most powerful (and vulnerable) moments come when Consuela is fully clothed. I am officially impressed by her evolution as an actress (in both Spanish & English roles). One actor I was not too fond of, sorry to say, is the normally rock-solid Peter Saarsgard. It's a somewhat cliched performance.
'Elegy' is not the most interesting, original, or riveting movie you'll see; even within its own genre. Some scenes drag on, a bit. Some are too heavy. Some are downright joyless. But it's the acting that pulls us through. I was unexpectedly moved by the portrayals and the script (sometimes out of nowhere). We wind up caring about these individuals; even though some of them aren't that pleasant. The movie takes it's time to sink into our brain, almost like a poem ... which is why its title is apropos. I can't put my finger on why I'm not completely sold on it, but 'Elegy' IS the type of film that will hit some people. I was intermittently hit.