Sometimes the best reactions are ones which involve little to spoken expression. That is exactly how I felt after witnessing the beauty of Gucci designer Tom Ford’s film “A Single Man.” I sat speechless as the final credits were rolling, and I knew I had to see it again to fully comprehend the picture’s true beauty. The film is Ford’s directorial debut, and after three consecutive viewings, I am confident that he will continue to deliver cinematic gems in the years to come as his talent is nothing short of incredible.

The film follows a day in the life of a university professor living in Los Angeles in the early 1960s. Colin Firth nails the role of George, a gay man whose love of teaching is affected by his own sorrows. George’s lover had just been killed in a car accident and days roll be he begins to find it more than difficult to deal with his loss. George makes the ill-fated decision to take his own life. Featured in every single scene of the film, the story is entirely told from George’s perspective. As he goes about his day George begins to see things very differently, as he is presumably seeing them for the last time. Firth’s performance is subtle but all too heartbreaking. George is secluded and alienated from society as he is never allowed to embrace his own sexuality unless it is within the confines of his own home; a place that is just as cold, and depressing, as it is empty after the death of his lover. The film’s cinematography is something to be marveled upon. The audience is taken aback as George sees the world through a different light throughout his day. As George witnesses the beauty of everyday life, the film’s bland colors illuminate into one beautiful vision. Every single member of the supporting cast contributes to the development of George’s character. Charly, George’s best friend, played by a stunning Julianne Moore, is a fading beauty who clings to the past in order to avoid an ambiguous and assumingly lonesome future. While the role is small, Moore plays it with so much heart, that you almost feel bad for her once her and George say their final goodbyes as you realize that she will be losing her only true friend and confidant if and when George plans to follow through with his suicide.

Combined with a mesmerizing score, and a powerful script, “A Single Man” is a film not to be missed. The fact that it was not acknowledged as a Best Picture contender at the Oscars this winter is a travesty. It’s a film about embracing life, and its every moment. Tom Ford has created a masterpiece about the human condition and the moments that continue to keep us united, despite the differences that often fight to keep us apart.

-Alex McKaig

Tags: a, debut, designer, directional, ford, gucci, his, luminates, man, screen, single, the, tom, with

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