Review of A Single Man (2009) by Dave R — 27 Jan 2011

Tom Fordâ(TM)s debut is a stylish, confident and heartfelt piece of cinema. Colin Firth plays George Falconer, an English ex-pat teaching literature in a Los Angeles University in the politically turbulent early 1960s. Having lost the love of his life in a car accident the year before and unable to cope with the loneliness of daily life, he carefully plots his suicide over the course of a day. However, he doesnâ(TM)t count on the kindness of friends, neighbours or strangers, or indeed the life-affirming nature of an unlikely new liaison.

Thereâ(TM)s much to love here: the cinematography is at times breathtaking - albeit with a penchant for slow-motion and an at times jarring use of colour saturation to reflect Georgeâ(TM)s moods; the performances are excellent, with Julianne Moore proving to be most adept at a London accent; and above all the story is told with such feeling and crafted with such care that well before the (immensely satisfying) conclusion youâ(TM)ll be transported to a different era and sympathise with someone about to commit the unthinkable.