A Single Man

A return to more reasonable, rewarding cinema, after the japery of the last few films. Tom Ford's A Single Man charts a long day in the life of George (Colin Firth), an English professor at a Californian university coping with the death of his partner of sixteen years, Jim (Matthew Goode). Over the course of that single day, we watch as George moves between the present and the past as the smallest of details cause him to reflect on the variety his life has seen.


Reviews have swooped upon Ford's experience as a fashion designer as instrumental in the style and colour of this film; certainly there is something to be said of the picturesque nature of the footage throughout. But that any frame could be used as a still is not in itself a valid criticism. Indeed, one of the precepts of French cinema throughout the twentieth century has been to consider each shot as a work of art in itself. Ford treats his material the same, to dazzling effect. His use of colour and angle is a marvel to behold, and how that ties to the central drama of the story, amplified by a delightful score, is rather special. But I couldn't help feeling like perhaps it was a touch too much, a touch too obvious. At times the colouration of scenes was so vivid as to be strangely unnerving and perhaps unwarranted.


For a story in which very little, and yet everything, happens, the outstanding remains in the performances of Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. Her Charley, George's one-time flame, was at all times beautiful, but touched by such a large splash of tragedy as to be a truly involving character. The most scintillating and amusing moments of the film rested in their interactions, where tender feeling would segue into horsey British laughter seamlessly. The film took off at these points. 


What of the homosexuality and the beauty in small things? Well, what of it? There was the suggestion that Ford might use Kenny (Nicholas Hoult) as a beautiful, youthful substitute for Jim. I feared that might be the central message of the piece: Don't fret, you can find a replacement for lost love. So the ending was all the more fitting and kept the film just clear of nauseating commentary on what really needs a far more nuanced touch. Perhaps that was the most enduring feeling for me throughout: while the performances sparkled, while there was so much manipulation in colour and tone, the emotional weight resting behind the film was negligible. A good ending saved the film from cliche, but it was perhaps a heavy hand that tried to disguise itself with beauty as a light touch...


Not a failure, and a joy to watch, and moving and wry. As a directorial debut, one might hope for even greater things from Ford in the future.


~~~
2010
Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Nicholas Hoult
dir. Tom Ford
Based on the novel by Christopher Isherwood