A Single Man

What a beautiful film. Tom Ford's direction and the cinematography were absolutely gorgeous. The shots were framed perfectly and some of his close ups were the best I've seen. After now seeing this and Crazy Heart, I think Colin Firth should have won Best Actor at the Oscars. He did a brilliant job of playing a heart broken man whose male companion was recently killed in a car accident. It was set in the early 1960s (I decided this based on the dress and the Psycho poster at the grocery store) and the fashion was, of course, fantastic (Tom Ford is a famous designer for those of you who don't know).

My only complaint was how highly sensuous Firth's character was. It seemed odd that he would be pursuing other men so often when he had just lost his serious life partner. I felt like it played into the stereotype that gays are promiscuous which didn't seem to fit into the movie's message of loyalty and heartbreak.

It was very interesting to see the 1960s take on homosexuality. Firth's character and others repeated that they were "invisible" multiple times and Firth's neighbors, though always friendly, were clearly not impressed.

Overall though, two thumbs way up.

When Scenes:

WHEN Colin Firth first sees his lover lying dead in the snow in a dream and then wakes up in his bed to find his ink pen has leaked into a blood-stain-shaped blob.

WHEN Firth's lover dies and the family doesn't even want to inform him.

WHEN Firth is about to kill himself and his student rides up on his bike concerned.

WHEN Firth is trying the kill himself in his house and keeps trying to situate himself comfortably.

WHEN Firth and Julianne Moore are dancing in her living room.

QUICKIES

"He says you're light in the loafers, but you're not even wearing any loafers." — Ryan Sympkins (Jennifer Strunk)

"There will be no time for sentiment when the Russians fire missiles at us." — Lee Pace (Grant)

"If it's a world with no sentiment, Grant, it's not a world I want to live in." — Colin Firth (George)

Fun Facts:

This is Tom Ford's first film.

Colin Firth was not originally available for the role and someone else was cast. When there was a shift in scheduling, he took the part.

Joe Hamm of Mad Men is the uncredited voice of Hank Ackerley, the relative who calls Colin Firth at the beginning of the film.

Tom Ford financed the film himself.