A Single Man

Objective Rating (How much merit I think it deserves):
7/10
Subjective Rating (How much I personally like it):
6.5/10

Year released: 2009
Runtime: 99 minutes
IMDB page: here

It sure has been a while since I've reviewed a film. And aren't I a diligent little elf for writing twice in as many days... (funnily enough this is the second time today I've been described as "diligent"... not the elf part, because that would be creepy). The reason I don't review as many films is -- other than general laziness -- it is hard to find a worthy film to review. Worthy by my standards, which means the film can't be too wildly popular (like Avatar) because then everyone and their mother had already said something about the film. The film has to stand out somehow. It can be extremely boring or bad or captivating or well-acted or ... just remarkably mundane. That sounds like just about every film that has ever been made, but I've tried hard to avoid reviewing films that you ... just can't say anything about. And you'd be surprised how many of those there are out there.

But back on track. And back in format.

Plot: A middle-aged gay British-born college professor suffers through daily life 8 months after the death of his lover of 16 years. In the 60's. In L.A. The story is pretty simple. There aren't a lot of plot twists (though there is a very fitting turn of fate at the end), you aren't really kept on the edge of your seat. And granted, the story moves really slowly at points. But the devil is in the details...

Production: the details are wonderfully rich and presented in slow motion by the director/writer, Tom Ford. He is actually a fashion designer, and a very famous one at that: he helped turn Gucci around from near bankruptcy before starting his own line. The costumes in the film give an air that they were very carefully chosen, even if it is just a plain white T-shirt. But the more stunning part of the film is the vision that the director shows. The way the eyes are drawn through a series of objects and motions. The style of the film is very similar to the touches of Wong Kai Wai (of "Chungking Express", "In the Mood for Love" and "2046" fame). Even the matching sweeping cello soundtrack (which reminds me... I must have!) matches pretty closely.

Cast: Colin Firth is perfect for this. He always seems like he can do better than the stiff English guy in a rom-com, and now he has. The fastidiousness, even when he is at a loss of what to do or why he should go on, is fascinatingly heart-breaking. Or maybe it's precisely because he doesn't know what to do next so he fusses over the most minute details, and that makes everything all the more depressing... but eh, I am confusing the character with the actor. Julianne Moore, on the other hand, seems a bit out of place as the professor's female best friend who has always wanted to be his wife (kind of Will and Grace style). Sure, the character should be a redhead (like Grace). But Julianne Moore is not glamourous enough, not jaded enough, not wasted enough, not enough of a wash-up, has-been. In short, the character should have been a proper English crazy batty old hag. With red hair. Julianne Moore just doesn't reek enough of desperation for the old times where things were better and brighter.

This is definitely an art-film piece that takes patience and willingness to digest all the juicy, bitter bits and images. In case you need some help, a myriad of supporting actors with extremely chiseled looks and brilliant eyes that somewhat resemble pictures of models in a fashion catalog can always serve as eye candy to help you pass the time.