Elegy (Penelope Cruz, Ben Kingsley, Dennis Hopper, Patricia Clarkson, Peter Sarsgaard) – An elegy is defined as *a mournful poem; a lament for the dead,” which is an apt title for this character study of two people who do not die in this movie. But the film is mournful – of love gained and lost; of things not said; of deep relationships unfulfilled. A renowned college professor, David Kepesh (Sir Ben Kingsley), who left his wife and son (played by Peter Sarsgaard) at a young age, lives his otherwise lonely life through a series of casual relationships with his former students. As Kingsley himself, the professor is powerfully built, good-looking, and endlessly charming. His latest target is an incredibly beautiful Cuban-American student, Consuela (played impressively by the incredibly beautiful Penelope Cruz. To Kepesh’s surprise, the woman returns and returns as the relationship turns from casual to serious. The problem is that Kepesh never commits to any close personal relationship – not his wife, his son, not the woman with whom he has had a two-decade sexual relationship (portrayed by Patricia Clarkson) or any of the women in his life. Well, there is one relationship that is meaningful to him. It’s with a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet played remarkably well by Dennis Hopper. The poet and the professor share everything, including their penchant for young women.
The discussions between the men serve as narration for the film aided by the voice of Kepesh as his relationship with Consuela deepens. But there’s a problem. Kepesh gets jealous and possessive, imagining indiscretions of his newfound love. But he also never uses the “L” word and neither does she. But he is forever conscious of their age difference, and that becomes the undoing of the relationship. Other turns and twists move the plot … if not the slow pace of the movie … along.
This is an impeccably acted story, an elegy to love and life. Based on a Philip Roth novel, the film is an art-house piece of quality to be enjoyed by those who are fans of these fine actors, of Roth, and of Cruz in all her clothed and unclothed splendor.