A Single Man

A Single Man
Genre: Drama
Director: Tom Ford
Stars: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult
Rating: ★★☆ (2.5/4)

A Single Man is the directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford; and it shows. A Single Man is a very visual experience, to the point that it somewhat overshadows the good story. It's crafted with an incredible amount of passion but it's rare that this amount of passion can be channeled into something ridiculously frustrating. It feels somewhat like Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain.

The movie centers on a middle-aged English gay university professor named George Falconer, played by Colin Firth, who's partner Jim was just recently deceased. His best friend Charley, played by Julianne Moore, is his best friend. The two have a peculiar relationship; Charley has romantic affection for George as is custom for every LGBT themed film.

Colin Firth, as usual, loans his all. Like his performance the next year, he plays someone frustrated by his situation. Though in this one, his depression is extremely deep. His search for something uncertain leads him to do peculiar things throughout this day like talking with a male prostitute and developing an emotional connection with him. He gets into a fight with Charley due to her romantic attraction. He goes into a bar and develops a relationship with his closeted student. All of these things feel real, yet he knows that they are fleeting. The movie is inter-cut with flashbacks from his relationship with Jim making his depression stand out even further.

George is extremely empty. His life lost some of its meaning once Jim died, so he plans to commit suicide. He retains a blank look on his face. He lives this day routinely at the beginning. Charley decides to call him and wishes to spend the evening, to which he agrees to. He sits on the toilet, staring at things. He goes to class and teaches, albeit with a little bit of personal emotion inside of his speech. Kenny, played by Nicholas Hoult, develops a bond with him. The connection between the two is immediate; Kenny buys his teacher a pencil sharpener.

Because of his plan, he sees all things vividly and with extreme focus as he thinks that these will be the last glimpses of his life. He stares at everything from the shirtless bodies of the tennis players to the cigarette of a random girl in class. While this is pretty in the beginning, this gets increasingly frustrating. It starts to get mind numbing at the point where the cut slow-motions at the little girl playing on the street. While I understand the point behind it, I find that it should have been done with a little less exaggeration and a little more subtlety.

The plot very compelling and emotional but it is overshadowed by Tom Ford's grandeur vision. It's gorgeous, but somehow, a little too gorgeous. Too much style, not enough substance. The film had a lot of potential to be better, however much of the screen-time is invested in showing close-ups instead of what's actually significant. That does not mean this is a bad movie though, Tom Ford's costume design is incredible and so is Colin Firth's performance. I'm certainly looking forward to his next project.

Note: A rating of 2.5/4 can be either positive or negatively leaned. This one is positive.