A Single Man (Tom Ford, 2010)

Join this single man for a few hours, it’s worth it.

Tom Ford may have ventured from his established career in fashion to produce, write and direct this film based on the novel by Christopher Isherwood, but it is that stylish it deserves its own cat walk.

Colin Firth stars as the single man that the title concerns, playing English literature professor George, who in the wake of his lovers tragic death plans to kill himself at the end of a hazy summers day in 1960s LA. May sound like depressing stuff, but unlike other recent films such as Precious which approach their bleak topics with heavy handed seriousness, A Single Man is playful, moving without being overbearing and most importantly enjoyable.

Firth certainly earned his Bafta winning performance, appearing in every scene in the film. His performance is powerful, understated and convincingly embraces the sexuality of the character. He is well known for playing characters full of British charm and dry wit, and that is certainly on display here, but with a strong undercurrent of vulnerability which makes the film so affecting. Accompanying him in what may be his last day on earth is Julian Moore playing a British divorcé, who as usual is brilliant, and Nicholas Hoult, who is better known as the kid in Hugh Grant picture About a Boy.

As strong as the performances are the real star here is the director. Ford has an assured and original style that takes a simple story and turns it into a sensory experience. George’s voice over explains his ever changing emotional state, and accompanying this is the films ever changing colour style that suits his mood. For a large part of the film, there is a washed out grainy colour scheme which visually captures his despair. The excellent atmospheric score accompanies the almost greyscale cinematography. An early scene flashes back to the moment George hears about the death of his partner, a combination of fantastic acting, moving music and assured direction makes it an overwhelming scene.

It is not all doom and gloom however, and it appears George has the ability to see beauty in many things, largely the landscape and the bodies of others. To show this Ford uses extreme close ups and slow motion consistently, which is disorientating and seducing. It becomes clear we are seeing the world through the eyes of George; strengthen our emotional connection with him. The grainy tone turns to brilliant Technicolor in the moments where George feels happiness, largely though his developing friendship with student Kenny, who he appears to take more than a professional interest in.

For some the film may drag, it is simply a day in the life of a man struggling to get over a loss. We see him at work, going about his daily errands, get drunk with an old friend and ritually prepare him for suicide. A darkly comic sequence shows him working out the most comfortable position to blow his brains out. It is this effortless blend of playfulness and seriousness that results in one of the year’s best films.

Verdict
Even for those with short attention spans it is impossible to resist the films style, and not empathise with George. Ford has created a truly cinematic experience; everything that takes a good film to a great film pays off here. Direction, acting, music and story all serve to create a great sense of time and place, one that is an essential for any cinema fan to visit.
8.5/10