Review: A Single Man

A Single Man is the directorial debut of Tom Ford. Ford is the man behind Gucci—a man who is credited for reviving Gucci from bankruptcy in the early 1990’s and who later became Gucci’s creative director and founded Yves Saint Laurent. So why is all this information important? Like I said, this is the directorial debut of an American fashion designer and A Single Man fits like a fine-tailored suit—beautiful and dashing. Although A Single Man may not be the film of the year, some serious credit must be given to Ford for the film. Producing the film himself, sharing screenwriting credit with first-time writer David Scearce based on the Christopher Isherwood novel of the same name and taking the rank of director, A Single Man could be mistaken for the work of a talented and seasoned director.

A Single Man tells the story of George Falconer (Colin Firth in an outstanding performance), a regretful and decadent man during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and grieving the death of his long-time lover and partner Jim (Matthew Goode). The film follows George through an entire day and the highs and lows of living in the present, defining the future and forgetting about the past. Between his angst-inducing mornings, dull job as a professor at a California University and relationship with a beautifully decomposing friend Charley (Julianne Moore), George is on the brink of a breakthrough – and a decision that could change the course of his life forever.

The ideal word to describe A Single Man is beautiful and understanding the director’s history could explain a lot. Owing much to the cinematography of Eduard Grau, each and every frame of the film is simply perfect, conveying this elusive sense of realism while at the same time makes each scene apparently cinematic. From one viewing of the film it seems as though Ford’s ability to change tints and tones of scenes as they are playing out, which seems destined to become a trademark. His stubborn yet brilliant style of grainy shots and his duly noted emotional characters play with this diagetic ability to control the film and change the mood and look of the scene right in plain sight to viewers.

A Single Man is also a showcase of unforgettable characters. Colin Firth and his portrayal of George Falconer is brilliant. Firth’s quaint and nuanced performance is a worthy competitor at this year’s Oscars, with a number of nominations already, including a Golden Globe Best Actor nomination. It is through Firth’s simple actions and subdue shifts in character that allow him to shoot from the screen to the real world. The diversity of haunting, intellectual, emotional and foolish character traits shows significant range in Firth’s acting in this keen and undiscovered sense of confidence that Firth displays on screen. The film is a entirely about a  man’s inability to escape the past and the character development of a man who has lost his true love, lavishly accepting and conquering the future and moving on to deal with the present. George’s numerous accounts of rejecting the small beauties in his life draws the blueprint to his lonely and newly single status.

Aside from Firth who dominates each and every frame on screen, two very important mentions are those of Matthew Goode’s character Jim and Nicholas Hoult who plays George’s curious and hypnotizing student Kenny. Both Jim and Kenny play love interests of George—and direct George’s emotions on and off screen. Julianne Moore who plays George’s confidant and long-time friend Charley provides the film with a sense of humanity and humility. Her brief yet strong presence in the film alleviates some of the pain and angst George is feeling. No matter what Moore is in, she always stands out in her films, and although her character is in the film for mere minutes, she perfectly displays an iconic symbol of the domesticated wife gone awry.

Ford’s film is comprised of gorgeous, statuette-like, perfect people. Even in moments of sheer terror and remorse Ford is able to encapsulate beauty. With the same production design team of the hit HBO series “Mad Men” and its large list of actors cast from the modeling world, Ford has not only created a remarkable and visually pleasing film but a new hybrid film which merges the world of trendy fashion to a universe of glittering cinema.

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2. The Book Revue: A Single Man
3. Review: Man with a Movie Camera (Toronto Silent Film Festival)
4. Review: Leap Year
5. Review: A Serious Man