A Single Man

Despite our best efforts, me and my Mum never managed to get to see A Single Man when it came out, due to the fact it wasn't distributed locally, so it is again a case of LoveFilm bringing me up to speed.

A Single Man is based on a novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. Directed by the designer Tom Ford, it follows a day in the life of George Falconer, played by Colin Firth, an English professor in America in 1962, who is mourning the death of his lover of 16 years, Joe (Matthew Goode), who died in a car crash. On this day, George visits his close friend from England, Charlie (Julianne Moore), inspires a student in his class (Nicholas Hoult) and has a close encounter with a Spanish escort (Jon Kortajarena).

The film is Ford's directorial debut, and it's got a wonderful flow. One can see his designer touches in the clothes-which is very 1960s-and the very details on the actors-from make-up to glasses. At times, certain scenes seem to have an overlong time spent on them-the very final image is shown for a very long time. Yet, my absolute favourite part of the filming of A Single Man, was the use of colour. Black & White for a a flashback inspired by a photo of the same colour; a palate of browns to sum up the mood of George, which changes to vibrant colour when a good thing happens-seeing a dog that looks like his old ones, an encounter with a girl who lives nearby, the evening with Charlie and meeting Hoult's character Kenny at the bar where he met Joe.

Colin Firth is wonderful in his Bafta-winning performance as George. It's refreshing to see him not playing an off-shot of Mr Darcy or a posh English gentlemen (Bridget Jones, St Trinians, Nanny McPhee, Love Actually etc). He is both humerous and heartbreaking-and his speech to his students-about fear being a form of oppression, invisible minorities-is one of my favourite moments in the film.

Julianne Moore, despite being given double-billing on the posters-isn't in the film for very long, and delivers quite an interesting performance-delivering the most traditionally sixties line in the film about gay relationships not being 'proper' relationships, proved by an the earlier news that George wasn't allowed to attend Joe's memorial, as it was 'just for family'.

I am of the view that Nicholas Hoult, who plays the student Kenny, deserves the double-billing more. He is slightly more integral to the plot and gives a great adult debut performance in Hollywood-Hoult is well-known in the UK for playing Tony in Skins and his previous 'big' credit was as the boy in About A Boy with Hugh Grant. His American accent puts over English young actors (I'm looking at you R-Patz) attempts to shame. He's also pretty easy on the eye.

Matthew Goode's main requirement is to look pretty and be young & funny opposite Colin Firth in the flashback sequences about their relationship-and he does both admirably. Ditto Kortajarena, who-unsupringsly-in a model. His job as Carlos is to look pretty and charm George, delivering the occasional philosophical musing in a carpark. This scene is one of the ones that is shot in gorgeous colour.

A Single Man is wonderful film. I was worried I'd find it overly 'artsy' and kind of overrated. Yet it was a wonderful film-that (espesically in the final moments) succeeds in making the viewer incredibly happy and satisfied and also quickly saddened. Ford & Hoult need to make more films, and Firth needs to continue to act outside the Darcy/English Gent mould.