A Single Man (2009)

Too much of everything

Best movie of this year hands down!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

I rarely fail to watch the whole movie but this was so slow and morose I gave up before the hour. I just couldn't care less about the lead character who always looks like Colin Firth acting (I feel the same about Martin Freeman). So the pain didn't engage me or any desire to see the end.

Skipping the summary. Y'all know what it's about :) I am in two minds about this film.The problem: it's visually so flawless that it's dull.Clean frames, clean spaces, less life and more a homecare catalogue. Even Colin Firth sometimes stands no chance, fusing into the background like a bland aging model. The washed-out 60s palette doubles down on the impression.Make no mistake, it's kind of the point. Ford's work is to be watched through the main character's lens. And life is no longer exciting for George. Most of the time, he seems to be savoring the clean elegance of his surroundings with last-minute appreciation of a leaving guest. Rarely does his pulse speed up and the colors regain intensity.And you'll know it's not just my fancy wording once you see Ford play with the hue.Still, something feels off. I get the idea, but I don't get the message. It all doesn't move me much.Tom Ford is a fashion designer, and apparently a movie designer, too. So much so that in every scene I identified the effect at which he aimed and the detail, color, composition type intended to achieve it. It was like watching a series of artistic photos. You could pause at any moment, put the screen in a frame, hang it on a wall, and voilà!But it was so premeditated it lacked the flow. And it lacked life. A clock became a blank symbol of passing time; a pretty girl in a perfect 60s make-up - a metaphor of the epoch. Everything so universal and emblematic that I couldn't bring myself to care.And even now I'm still divided. Cause that might have been Ford's intention all the time. To have you experience first-hand how life feels to a person who's lost purpose. A washed-out collection of symbols.Yes, I have that much faith in him. I might be reading too much into it, but in some ways Ford's movies are a game-changer for me.This will be 7 out of 10. But it might well be a 6 or an 8, too. I don't know. What a maddening film.

The answer - visual masturbation. Like this complete waste of time. Sure it might look great but so does a perfume commercial, which ironically is what this director maybe should concentrate on. What happened to keeping the audience engaged? Plot? Character? And the ending. Come on! He drops dead? He could have done that after 10 minutes and saved us all some time. This drones on without any real purpose. Why are people hyping this film and how on earth did it get an Oscar nomination?

The first and foremost thing that one notices while watching Tom Ford's 'A Single Man' starring Colin Firth is the glossy visual texture of the film which makes every frame look extremely glamorous, shiny and attractive. Now there are critics who have accused Ford of bringing his overt fashion designing sensibilities to the screen and overdoing and over-glamorising the film. Personally I can understand why someone might raise this issue, but I think the over-stylisation is a specific artistic choice and it serves a thematic purpose. One of the primary themes of the film is the concept of living in perpetual fear. There is a extended lecture that George(Firth) delivers in his class to his students about how this fear can have varied roots and forms and the methods to counter this fear varies too. George's own fears are the results of a combination of factors. One of them being the fact that he is a minority, a homosexual living in a society that doesn't completely accept diversity in sexuality. Another huge and overbearing reason for his fears is his crippling sense of loneliness after his partner, Jim's sudden death. It is clear that Jim's love and acceptance gave George a sense of fulfillment. Without Jim, he has mentally slipped into a state of emotional confinement. He uses the lavish, intricate and meticulously designed interiors of his house, the sharp clothes and clean cut appearance to hide his inner grief. He morphs into the smooth, charming and handsome image that everyone expects to see in order to hide his inner turmoil and pain. So this is where Tom Ford's over-stylised set designs and visuals become into play as when this context is taken into account, one will understand that Ford is using these 60s inspired sets not because he has a passion for designing 60s era sets and clothes, but because George himself is using these things as an armour.Everything that happens during the day depicted in the film is shown from George's point of view. We get fleeting shots of things that are drawing his attention in a particular moment through jump cuts and quick editing. Ford also adjusts the visual colour palette and texture to reflect the mental state of George in specific scenes. We shift from the bland texture of normality to over-saturation to frames being splashed with vibrant red or blue. Of course this is influenced by similar artistic choices by Hitchcock in 'Vertigo' and there's also a scene that takes place with a huge poster of 'Psycho' in the background. But other than Hitchcock, the dreamy and intentionally melodramatic tone that is set by Ford right from the first scene with the melancholic score reminded me of the so called "women's pictures" from the 1950s like Douglas Sirk's 'All that Heaven Allows' which also involved artistic use of colour. Ford also uses a number of Sirk- esque shots of reflections on mirrors and other glass surfaces to visually express emotional repression and confinement. Some of the visual metaphors and directorial choices might be a bit too on-the-nose and not on the subtle side, but considering the melodramatic tone that is set by Ford, those moments of overtness seem appropriate and not out of place.From a visual standpoint, Tom Ford clearly shows the presence of an artistic vision and meticulous craftsmanship. But for me he is a bit weak when it comes to tackling and writing conversation scenes. The screenplay written by Ford and David Scearce based on the novel written by Christopher Isherwood works well on a broader level in terms of setting up the character of George and exploring his fears. But I think the writing fails in giving us sharp and insightful dialogue in a few scenes especially the scenes involving George and Kenny which are essential to give us an understanding of the connection between the two characters. This weak dialogue stands out as a blot in an otherwise highly impressive directorial debut.Colin Firth deserves almost as much praise for this film as Tom Ford. He shoulders this film from start to finish and gives us a deeply moving performance. We all know he can play the smooth and sophisticated side of George, the side that George presents to the world. But what Firth really excels at are the scenes where the facade drops and the 'real' George in his solitude appears in front of us. 'A Single Man' has some problems when it comes to the quality and potency of dialogue in some crucial scenes, however one can't help but admire the depth in the exploration of a lonely man's fears and insecurities. Tom Ford's artistic and visual craftsmanship and of course Colin Firth's marvellous performance makes this an easy recommendation.