Film Review #6

Tom Ford’s first film A Single Man is a winner. The drama, made in 2009 but set in the 1960s, details a day in the life of a middle-aged gay man lamenting the loss of his lover. Ford couldn’t have asked for a better cast. Clint Firth is the film’s leading man. Simply put, he is an actor’s actor. You may remember him from a little movie called The King’s Speech (read: this earned him an Oscar). Not to be outdone, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, and Nicholas Hoult give outstanding performances when they are on screen.

It’s time to talk plot! George Falconer (Firth) is a British university professor living in 1960s Southern California. When we meet George it is quite evident that he is coping with depression. Jim (Goode), his lover for 16 years recently died in a horrible car accident. Since then he’s been living a solitary existence that appears dark and mundane. Loss and misery has George anticipating suicide. George manages to meets several interesting people along the way. In my opinion, each person represents a little drop of hope.  I don’t want to give too much away but one of them somehow manages to derail his plan of suicide. Even with that tidbit the audience will still receive an ending that is nothing-but-unpredictable.

Colin Firth is utterly convincing as George. You can feel the character’s grief all the way down to his voice. Not to mention his actions. George believes that this will be his last day on Earth. With that said, every experience he has is more detailed, more intense… more real! My expectations were high for Firth because I read that his performance in the film was nominated for an Academy Award. He did not disappoint!  Honorable mentions go to Julianne Moore & Matthew Goode. Moore was wonderful as self-pitying Charley. Goode had tremendous presence in all of George’s flashbacks with Jim.

George & Jim (top) .... George & Charley (bottom)

This film used several film techniques to convey emotion. The main character’s nostalgia is conveyed perfectly with lighting techniques. The score is impeccably placed as well.  Abel Korzeniowski was in charge of the score. “Stillness of the Night” and “Becoming George” are masterpieces. Both elicit such great sadness. His work earned him a Golden Globe nomination for best original score.

I would recommend this film to any of my friends. If I could only name one reason I’d say go for a well told drama. I was not disappointed by this film at all. Tom Ford crafted a wonderfully convincingly portrait of a man struggling with great heartbreak and loss. I love that Tom Ford did not directly focus on George’s sexuality. Being a homosexual was merely another layer to the main character. For anyone that reads this post and goes to watch A Single Man I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

9 out of 10