Director Isabelle Coixet‘s artistry has progressed exponentially with each of her films, culminating in this gloriously gut-wrenching translation of Philip Roth‘s novella (The Dying Animal). She had a somewhat invisible career in her native Spain, before making a minor splash here with My Life Without Me. I felt that film was vastly overrated, using manipulative schema in trying to achieve her emotional goals, although I’ll always watch anything Mark Ruffalo does. Coixet followed that up with the superlative Secret Life of Words, some images of which I still can’t go more than a week or so without involuntarily conjuring up. Secret Life of Words was also one of the many nearly unseen triumphs of Tim Robbins‘ recent career peregrinations. By focusing on the actors, and simply allowing great actors to do their subtle work, Coixet has unraveled the knot she tied herself into by directorial manipulation in My Life Without Me.
With Elegy, Coixet has continued her preoccupation with small, dark, literary dramas, and the rhythms she employs are simply stunning. I do need to say that, taking nothing away from Coixet’s prowess, the mesmeric cadences of Roth’s writing are also a large part of the gripping quality of the film. Prior to The Human Stain a few years ago, Roth had gone nearly 20 years without a film version of any of his books – and he is prolific. I suspect this is due to the nature of his books – they all involve a ton of dialogue, and many take place in his native Newark – two facts not conducive to attracting Hollywood money. I do notice however, upon glancing at The Internet Movie Database, that my favorite of his novels, American Pastoral, is in pre-production. A real-life couple is attached – Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany – so maybe serious actors now realize that Roth can be interpreted successfully.
In Elegy, Ben Kingsley plays a typical Roth character – an aging college professor who can’t lay off the co-eds, and who has thus honed his life into a 180-degree turn away from any ounce of happiness. His marriage has long since broken up, his son despises him, and he even plays around on his long-time sex-only girlfriend (played nicely by Patricia Clarkson). His newest obsession is Cuban beauty Consuela, played by Penelope Cruz. Cruz has shown, with Volver, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and now Elegy, that she is a serious dramatic actress with seemingly no limits. Her performance will probably be seen as sensational mainly for her prolonged nude scenes, masking her excellent acting in a demanding role. The film progresses from dark to tragic, with perhaps a dollop of hope at the end – so gripping that I came out of it with a stomach-ache. [DVD]
Drama/Romance
Rated R
DVD Release Date: 3/17/09