A Single Man came out in 2009. I just saw it last week, alone without popcorn or any sort of candy, which is maybe why I feel so on the fence about this film. This is a movie you need to see with someone and then discuss it. My husband fell asleep about twenty minutes in. So, this film is Tom Ford's directorial debut.
Tom Ford is a clothing designer and he has made a very artistic film. I may even go so far as to say it's artsy fartsy. In my opinion, it tries just a tad too much to be art instead of just telling the story of George, a gay man in the 60's whose partner of 16 years was killed in a car accident. This film is the day in the life of George, a British college professor who is contemplating suicide. What I found particularly sad is that George wasn't invited to his partner's funeral. I can't imagine this and I wanted him to fight for that, but that's not what this movie was about. Colin Firth plays George and he is terrific in the film, but everyone else just seemed like set dressing. Okay, Julianne Moore was good too, but she's good in everything. She's like the poor man's Meryl Streep. I'm lying. I just said that because it sounded funny. She was miscast in the
Jurassic Park film that my son is enamored with.
This film is book-ended by death, although it's not graphic. It's stylized death.