Filmikaze!

By: Tom Ford (director, screenplay), David Scearce (screenplay), Christopher Isherwood (novel)

Starring: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode

A story that centers on an English professor who, after the sudden death of his partner tries to go about his typical day in Los Angeles.

There’s a quiet pervasiveness about A Single Man. It’s a movie that sneaks up on you even when you expect it to. Going into it, I knew it would carry a heavy social burden, but it was tangibility of it all that caught me off guard. Despite the overt moral and period setting, this is a film that feels entirely personal.

The plot is as simple as the synopsis makes it out to be, but there’s a certain power in the everyday experience. Colin Firth lends a weight to the lead role that grounds the entire film; with a less capable actor, the emotional impact would have been lost. Tom Ford makes incredible use of color and framing to create a more intimate and immediate experience. The film seems aloof, but you realize by the end how strongly it connects. If nothing else, it is heart-wrenching and a little difficult to come to terms with, but I think that’s a testament to how well it was made.