Review of A Single Man (2009) by Deb S — 19 Mar 2011

'If the past does not matter and the present is a total drag, then what about the future?'.

Fashion designer Tom Ford makes his directing debut with this film and the first thing that struck me about the film was the sheer beauty of every shot, like each scene was a masterfully hand-painted picture, wrought with emotion and exquisitely presented.

Plot: George Falconer (Colin Firth) is a gay college professor whose partner of 16 years Jim (Matthew Goode) has recently been killed in a car crash. As it is 1962, George has lived almost his entire life in the closet and now he's even being forced to mourn in isolation. In his suffocating grief, George tries to muster the energy and desire to go on living. The only person that he can possible share his anguish with is his one time lover but now his best friend Charley (Julianne Moore) and Nicholas Hoult, a young student who senses George's grief and tries to insinuate himself into George's life. Julianne Moore excels in a supporting role and looked perfect as a glamour girl from that 1960's era, right out of a magazine and Nicholas Hoult also does a great job.

It takes a minute to fall in love with someone, but takes a lifetime to forget that person. One should always appreciate life's little gifts, and of course life itself.

The loss of a loved one is always a traumatic experience and here Colin Firth captures it beautifully.