I went into A Single Man with no real expectations. I didn't know anything about the film, not even that it was directed by Tom Ford. I actually spent the first 10 minutes thinking I was watching the Coen Brothers' 'A Serious Man', most probably a very different film to this one. Whoops! A quick Google search rectified my error and I settled into the experience of this stylish Tom Ford movie. It is adapted from Christopher Isherwood's novel of the same name and stars Colin Firth in the leading role, Julianne Moore and Nicholas Hoult.
I really enjoyed A Single Man, from the slick and stylish aesthetics, to the dialogue, to the deep sense of melancholy. Hey, I think we all need a bit of melancholy now and again. The story follows a middle aged British college professor living in L.A in the early 60's, George Falconer, who has recently lost his long time partner Jim in a car accident. From the start we learn of the immense trauma that this loss has caused him as we get reoccurring flashbacks of their times together. Simple moments, stored forever in George's memory. The first scene is of the highest order, a silent scene of George approaching Jim's dead body just after the accident. He lies with Jim, kissing him with defiant acceptance. This is all that was needed to set up the central premise for the film. George is grieving, yet realises that he must move on and rediscover some sense of himself. The first 20 minutes are used to explore George's mindset and how he views the world. The death of Jim has drained meaning from his day to day life and job, and as he himself exclaims very early on, he is just trying to "get through the goddamn day". The first act also introduces us to Julianne Moore's character, Charley, a very old friend of George. She was the first to console him after he received news of Jim's accident, portrayed in a very moving scene where George is quite literally breaking down in front of her. This establishes their firm bond, which is explored further later on.
One of the main themes of A Single Man is sexuality. Both sexual ambiguity and promiscuousness. I never got the sense that George was depicted as an exclusively gay man, although he probably is. He mentions to Jim in a flashback that he used to sleep with Charley before they met, to which Jim is surprised. Jim never slept with any women. George claims this to be a reason why he felt so deeply in love with Jim, because he was always so sure of himself. I see this as a very important moment in understanding the psychology of George and Jim's relationship. It seemed to me that George was not only in love with Jim, but deeply in awe of him. His outlook on life, his exuberant confidence, made George a better person. Without Jim, he is devoid of something essential to his happiness. This is further reiterated towards the end of the movie when Charley tries to imply that Jim was a substitute for real love, sending George from his mellow drunken state into a defensive rage. He insists that Jim was everything, and nothing can ever replace him. The theme of sexual ambiguity is a real one. Early on when George is teaching, he daydreams about the human form, both the male and the female, distracting his focus on the class he is trying to teach, eventually veering off topic as he riffs on the fact that "fear is destroying our world", blatantly self referencing when talking about the fear of being alone and insignificant. Through these early scenes, Ford develops the complex nature of this man and the cold reality of his heartbreak.
After the class, one student, Kenny, becomes particularly enamoured with George. He quickly makes advances on him, maybe detecting certain aspects of his nature and perhaps even his sexuality. George tries to quell these advances, but it only ends up adding to his conflicted torment and denial about Jim. One of my favourite scenes in the film occurs a little later on. George drives to a convenience store to pick up a bottle of gin for Charley, but as he is leaving it is knocked out of his hand by a young handsome Spanish man. His reaction is humbling and to my eyes displays the essence of human compassion. He manages to overcome his frustration and decides to treat the man with kindness instead of contempt, looking him in the eye and saying "its ok, it was my fault". He buys another bottle and shares a cigarette with the man, who is clearly also interested in George, either sexually or as a friend. It is this constant blurring of the lines between friendliness and sexual tension that really captured my attention throughout the film, being present with Charley, Kenny and the Spanish man. Sometimes we can confuse the two, or even overlook simple human decency and kindness because of sexual connotations. The man wants to go on a car journey with George, but he politely declines and the two part ways. This middle stanza was probably my favourite section of the film.
The next part of the movie focusses on George and Charley. They get drunk together and the whole atmosphere of the film becomes lighter and more fun. The two revel in each others company, laughing and dancing the night away. This was a fun scene to watch and was genuinely heart warming. You feel the visceral bond between them, as well as some unresolved sexual tension. By the end of the scene it is obvious that Charley has always wanted more than friendship with George, but the fact that it isn't reciprocated makes it hard for her to deal with her own life. After this encounter we get perhaps the most important flashback to when George and Jim met at a local sailors bar. The way these flashbacks are constructed paints George's past as richer, happier and more full of life. His nostalgia for this time in his life is so overpowering that it consumes his present. He ends up running back to the same bar, where he conviniently runs into Kenny. This final stanza is where we see George's redemption, he finally beats his nostalgia and fully realises his identity. Through Kenny and Charley, George finds his way back to the present, before finally succumbing to his heart condition. We then get a reverse shot of the opening scene, with George's dying body being kissed by Jim. It is a touching and fitting end to the film.
The acting in A Single Man was really impressive. I am a big Colin Firth fan, though I acknowledge he can be quite one-dimensional. I think he fit this role as well as anyone could have. His quiet, classy demeanour helped the serious scenes feel real, yet he displayed the range that was needed to give life to the character. Overall I felt he stole the show. Julianne Moore was really good as well, giving the character of Charley a sassy, eccentric spark. Her chemistry with Firth brought real depth to their ambitious relationship. Nicholas Hoult was passable, and he definitely worked for the role of Kenny. I would have liked to have seen some more adventurous dialogue written for him though. Aesthetically, A Single Man is simple but classy, as one would expect from a world renowned fashion designer like Tom Ford. Nothing about the visuals or music blew me away, but this is a very character focussed movie, it didn't need to be flashy.
A Single Man is a very serious film, so don't go into expecting a laugh a minute. Its humanistic qualities and themes of compassion, empathy, love and heartbreak are what made it such a satisfying experience for me. I have no real criticisms of it, and at only an hour and a half it is quite an easy watch. If anything, I would have liked it to have been a bit longer so that it could have explored some of the relationships in more detail, but that is just me splitting hairs. Overall I would highly recommend this stylish adaptation to anyone with a love of cinema, or a touch of melancholy.
Acting: 85
Narrative: 80
Visuals: 75
Music: 70
Narrative: 80
Visuals: 75
Music: 70
Overall: 78/100
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