Philip Roth is an author so special and exquisite, that only few directors try their hand at translating his novellas onto the silver screen. The experience and previous performances of Barcelona native director Isabel Coixet recommend her for making a successful try at the before-mentioned adaptations. She is drawn to morbidity, but mixes secondary themes so smoothly that all in all, the result is charming.

Theatres shelter these days an adaptation of Roth’s “The Dying Animal,” under the name of “Elegy,” a production signed by Coixet and written by Nicholas Meyer. There have been hints about this movie when Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” premiered. From that moment we’ve learnt that Penelope Cruz delivers one of her best performances of her career. But “Elegy” is a lot more than that.

The movie focuses on a divorced, womanizing college professor, David Kepesh (Ben Kingsley) and his relationship with former student, Consuela (Cruz). Actually, the plot centers on a multitude of inter-human relations Kepesh has and what results is mostly a more or less deserved elegy. But nowadays, our world is characterized by the Narcis Myth, therefore, the result is not at all far-fetched.

“Elegy” may be watched from more vantage points. There is the conscientious point of view, which sees the decadence of the human being – both physical and spiritual, and that is the main drama of the aging professor. His more than 60 years he lived need the stamina and beauty of a younger body – Consuela’s, but at the same time, his oldness rages in front of the young. The fear of the death is alleviated by the imaginary compensation resulted from living with the young, but at the same time, he becomes older as a result of their antinomy. 

There is also the aesthetic point of view, which focuses on the exquisiteness of Consuela.  David sometimes sees nothing more than the superb figure of Consuela, she has no inner qualities, she has no thoughts or dreams that could also make her beautiful. Therefore, outstanding physical beauty appears in some moments as a burden. No one is interested in her as a person, but as an object of desire.

Also, there is the social point of view. David’s relationship with Consuela, who worships him; with his best friend George (Dennis Hopper), an equal womanizer, who, in contrast, is settled down;  his relation with his estranged son and the occasional contacts with his long-time lover, Carolyn (Patricia Clarkson), all these are manners of constructing the personality of David Kepesh.

What is interesting is that no matter what point you choose to look at the lead character, the movie remains an elegy of himself. Narcissism is the word, and the central focus on David Kepesh is the leitmotif of the movie.