Elegy

There are several close-up shots in this film of Ben Kingsley, staring intensely, teary-eyed, silent. Presumably these are meant to convey some deep-seated emotion that he can't experess. However, what they conjure up for me is his psychotic gangster from Sexy Beast. This slightly unnerving sensation is only exacerbated by the presence of Dennis Hopper. On the whole, he's very restrained, and rather good, as the poet friend of the main character - until he laughs, at which point he reminds you of every psycho that he's ever played. On such unintentional associations do films head off the rails. The male characters in this film are a pathetic bunch, verging on the totally dislikable: middle aged men trying to hang on to their youth by sleeping with as many young women as possible, and to hell with their families. Even the main character's son finds himself following in his loathed father's footsteps by having an affair. If it wasn't for the presence of two such strong actresses as Penelope Cruz and Patricia Clarkson this would have been an unbearably macho film.