A Single Man
U.S.A. 2009

Opening 8 Apr 2010

Directed by: Tom Ford
Writing credits: Tom Ford, Christopher Isherwood, David Scearce
Principal actors: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode, Jon Kortajarena

It’s 1962. George Falconer (Colin Firth) is a college professor in Los Angeles. Eight months ago, he lost Jim (Matthew Goode), his partner of sixteen years, in a car accident. George couldn’t even say goodbye properly – Jim’s family didn’t want him at the service. Now George’s main challenge is to get through the day. His life feels as real as a faded old photograph (the colors in the movie reflect George’s feelings) and doesn’t seem worth living, so George plans to shoot himself at the end of the day. But this day turns out to be different: a handsome stranger (Jon Kortajarena), his best friend Charly (Julianne Moore), and finally a young student (Nicholas Hoult), who admires George and senses there’s something wrong with him, all bring back meaning (and color) to George’s life.

Fashion designer/filmmaker Tom Ford’s first film, A Single Man, is based on Christoph Isherwood’s novel of the same title. As the book is an inner monologue, but film is mostly a visual medium, Ford created external scenes for the movie. He and David Scearce are responsible for the screenplay. Cinematography (Eduard Grau) and score (Abel Korzenowski) communicate important aspects of George's inner world, and Colin Firth's outstanding performance brings his character to life. A Single Man was nominated for three Golden Globes (Firth, Moore, and Korzenowski). (Christa Greiff)

Second Opinion

It is a very good film, tragic, brilliant actors, beautiful and sad, well-taken photographed, but nothing to get you in a good mood. Interesting filming techniques are used to differentiate between present and past and to represent his feelings. (Tina Grieben)