ELEGY

Directed by Isabel Coixet (My Life without Me)and starring Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz, this 113 minute drama offers a realistic look at the difficulties inherent in an intimate relationship between individuals of different generations. Kingsley give a brilliant performance of an aging successful New York author and teacher who appears fully satisfied with with his casual and self-centered life style until young and beautiful Consuelo Castillo (Penelope Cruz)enters his classroom and, somewhat predictably, his heart.
After a brief flirtation, both David Kapesh (Kingsley) and Consuela become intimate and fall deeply in love, which totally upsets David's life, bringing him in touch with feelings of self-doubt, jealousy and fear of mortality. Unable to believe Consuelo could really love him because of their difference in age (30 years), that it was only a matter of time until she would abandon him, and resultant fear of committment, he becomes conflicted and deeply troubled by the depth of his love for her.
At the same time, Consuelo is troubled by David's apparent unwillingness to believe in her and allow the relationship to flourish. Because of this, she breaks off the relationship and nothing more is heard of her for a period of two years. During this period, David's long-time friend and confident suffers a stroke and dies, causing David to come to grips with eventual death and the importance of relationships.
Consuelo suddenly reappears and reveals she has cancer and will soon have a mastectomy. She, like David, is faced now with her own fears of mortality and loss of attractiveness and it is during this trying and pognant time that David finally realizes the depth of her love for him and of his for her and the bond that has formed between them.
There are several partial frontal nude scenes where the fantastic real-life beauty of Penelope Lopez is revealed to the audience(A more exquisite female is hard to imagine.). That beauty seems to imply an underlying "beauty and the beast" theme to the film, brought out even more during the film's denouement.
I can recommend this film primarily for its realism and splendid acting by both lead, as well as the supporting cast. I give it 31/2 stars.
Posted by Chuck