This movie is a triumph of many things — aesthetic, performance, style, restraint, tone & pace. Astonishingly, it is the first feature film directed by Tom Ford, the fashion icon at Gucci over the last decade. It is an extraordinary debut that promises many great things behind the camera, should he choose to continue. He clearly has the artistic vision that translates to great filmmaking.
“A Single Man” is a story of lost love and grief set in the early sixties. Colin Firth plays a university professor who loses his younger lover in a snowy car accident. The months after the loss are achingly difficult for him, but he goes about his days maintaining the veneer and poise of a perfectly normal man… never openly succumbing to outward emotion. His only close friend is played by Julianne Moore, with whom he finds a casual comfort.
I loved the attention to detail in this movie. It is patient enough to show us the minutiae of this man’s routine. It is confident enough to linger on a conversation from its natural start to its waning conclusion. But most of all, this film is a showcase of elegance and style and subtlety. I felt like I was in the hands of a brilliant director, making his way from scene to scene with the sure-footed stride of a veteran storyteller.
Finally, I have to pay tribute to Colin Firth, who delivers one of the very best performances of 2009. He is so contained and precise here, managing to convey grand emotion in tiny gestures. The effort is superb in every possible way.
The only thing that holds this film back from greatness, in my opinion, lies in its inability to transfer the emotions from the character to my own. I observed the emotions, but I didn’t feel them. I was interested, perhaps fascinated by the story… but somewhat unmoved. Nevertheless, “A Single Man” is a must-see movie and will end up on the outskirts of my year-end Top 10 List.
