Review of A Single Man (2009) by Chris W — 07 Oct 2011

Based on a novel, this is the directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford. And, you know what, if he wanted to, the man could make a second career for himself in film because as far as debuts go, it's pretty good.

The story concerns a British professor named Georgewho teaches English at a California university. It's November 1962, and the Cuban Missle Crisis has had people on edge for a month. For 8 months now, George has been mourning the loss of his long time partner Jim, whom he was with for 16 years. It hasn't been easy for George, but somehow, he has managed. Yet, that is not enough, and he's reached the point where he's decided that he'd be better off if he'd commit suicide and put an end to his suffering.

The fim follows George over the course of what he is trying to make his final day. Most thigns happen as usual, but then there are of course the moments where he takes care of final bits of business and gets some loose ends tied up. Along the way, he has encounters with various people that have him thinking that mayeb he does still have a life that's worth livign after all. Interspersed throughout this narrative are various flashbacks from George's life together with Jim.

Despite being a serious character driven drama filled with sadness and pain, there are also a number of moments of hope, humor, and love. Underscoring the film is also a great sense of beauty. Even the darker moments have a kind of sad beauty to them, making the film very moving and touching.

This is a smart film filled with an excellent lead performance by Colin Firth, and some terrific supporting ones by Julianne moore, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode, and Jon Kortajarena. The music is quite emotional and moving, and, as one moght expect (given Ford's background), this is a gorgeous looking film with some top notch art direction, set design, and costumes.

As good as the film is though, it's not perfect. I can probably forgive him for this since it's debut and he's morwe used to fashion, but I think Ford overdirects this film at times. I don't think there needed to be as much slow-mo, or the filter shifts from color to b&w. I think he was maybe just nervous or directed the film self consciously, trying too hard to make a good first impresion. In all honesty, I think it would have been better had he just trusted his actors and let them do the heavy lifting until he strengthened his chops.

Aside from that though, I don't have any real complaints. I think the film is well done, not boring, and mostly finds the right tone. It occasionally feels a bit heavy handed, but again, I think it's forgivable. It does handle the material in a sensible manner though, and I appreciate that. You should give this a watch, because it's pretty good.