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Character-driven, grown-up and slow-burning are perhaps not the most inspirational adjectives to open a review of a film you've just seen and loved but they do have one thing in common. Hyphens? No, I'm talking about the fact that they tend to be appropriate descriptors of films that is usually right up my street. If done badly these movies are often as dull as the adjectives that describe them, but in the right hands they can be every bit as gripping as a break-neck action film or unpredictable thriller. The thing about character-driven movies is that there's a greater focus on the inhabitants of the film, and by necesseity the quality of acting in such pictures is usually first rate. Indeed the quality of acting can rarely be better than it is here with a brilliant cast excelling as individuals and as an ensemble. Peter Sarsgaard, Patricia Clarkson and Dennis Hopper are all outstanding in supporting turns, but the film belongs to Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz, both of whom make a lasting impression as a couple who fall in love despite their 30 year age gap.

Kingsley plays a writer Kepesh, who immediately conveys a subtelty of wit in an engaging interview that opens the film. This humour is developed throughout the film, particularly in his relationship with Dennis Hopper, a friend and Pulitzer prize winner. Kepesh is an English professor who has a great command of language, often finding an economy and precision with his words. When he falls for and woos one of his former students, he encounters emotions that have previously evaded him during all previous relationships and experiences.

The student, Consuela, is played by Cruz, who undoubtedly gives her best English language performance to date. Proving her talent in Almodovar's Volver, she once again shines in a film where she is asked to pass for a young twenty-something, and does so easily. She must also develop a chemistry with a man who could be her father, something the entire picture is reliant on, but it is quickly evident that Cruz and Kingsley have a wonderful screen chemsitry. They convince utterly, their love for each other in a complex mix of passion, desire and apprehension. There are some wonderful scenes where the two seem perfectly natural - an exquisitely shot sequence on a beach stands out, the cinematography outstanding.

Kingsley's Kepesh is the heart of the film - there's not a scene without him in and his character is rich and well developed. Kepesh initially lusts after Consuela to feel significant again, to satisfy a carnal longing. However he soon finds himself entwined in a relationship he simultaneously wants more than anything, yet is completely undone by. His jealousy, insecurities and fears are alien to him - he feels them for the first time in his life, and this emotional richness is wonderfully conveyed by Kingsley. It's yet another terrific performance in Kinglsey film canon and one that should receive notices at the end of the year. Reading other critics reviews however I fear the only notice will be a top 5 slot on myfilmvault since, whilst praise has been served, no-one seems to be doing cartwheels. Cruz too is a perfect foil, illuminating every scene she is in, and Sarsgaard, Hopper and Clarkson brilliantly cast and on top form.

Elegy is an adaptation of a Phil Roth novel and, whlist the majority of reviewers have been kind, its detractors have criticised it for being dry or turgid. I cannot disagree more - I was mesmerised by the performances of an outstanding ensemble, in particular two leads who make believable a relationship that may have otherwise proved totally unwatchable if other actors had been cast in their parts. Isabel Coixet, the director, has crafted a brilliant film, full of emotion - it is witty, poignant and always engaging. I thoroughly recommend it.