A Single Man

(Ford, 2009)

Adapted from the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood, A Single Man is the tale of George Falconer (Colin Firth), an English college lecturer working in Los Angeles. He lives alone, consumed by grief and struggling to find a purpose following the death of Jim (Matthew Goode), his partner of 16 years. Set in the sixties during the Cuban missile crisis, the film mostly focuses on one day in George’s life, some eight months following the car accident that killed Jim.

During the events of the film George spends time getting his affairs in order, with the apparent intention of committing suicide that evening. He presents himself immaculately, going about his normal activities while reliving his most dear and most heartbreaking memories. He seems to gain new appreciation of the world and the people around him, hinting that he slowly making peace with it all.

It’s all terribly sombre, occasionally melodramatic stuff, but it’s hauntingly beautiful all the same. First-time director Tom Ford – a fashion designer by trade – laces the film with great style and grace, manipulating the colour saturation in line with George’s fleeting uplifts in mood. Ford was forced to finance his debut entirely by himself, and the passion he put into directing it is clear to see.

Firth puts in a career-defining performance here, at once sorrowful, intellectual, free-spirited and decidedly understated. His supporting cast includes Julianne Moore as his long-term friend and one-time, now unrequited lover; and a terrific performance by Nicholas Hoult, who has come a long, long way from About A Boy.

It’s a commendable first film from Ford, gorgeously rendered and superbly performed. The score, too, wonderfully both textures the aching sadness and accentuates the brief moments of joy and wonder. The pervading national fear is a fitting backdrop to the film, and one of my favourite quotes comes when George is discussing the etiquette of sharing bomb shelters with your neighbour:

Grant: “There will be no time for sentiment when the Russians fire a missile at us.”

George: “If it’s going to be a world with no time for sentiment, Grant, it’s not a world that I want to live in.”

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tl;dr: For me, A Single Man is Colin Firth’s finest moment. While it starts off slowly, the film builds into a thing of resonating beauty, showing the actions and inner thoughts of an intensely private man as he seeks to put his grief and loss behind him.

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