title : "A Single Man"
director : Tom Ford
genre : drama
released year: 2009
running time : 1 hour 39 min.
cast : Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode
reason to watch: i planned to be spontaneous today :) so i just picked a random movie to watch :p
"A Single Man" tells about the last day of George Falconer - a middle-aged English professor who's still grieving at the death of his long-term partner for 16 years, Jim - before he decided to commit suicide. this film's gonna bring the audience to witness George's preparation for the suicide as he reminisced about the memories he had with Jim. feeling gloomy & lonely, as he put his loaded gun into his portfolio, he tried to live his planned-to-be last day by saying goodbye to people around him secretly. on that day also, more crucial than ever, he had an encounter with a few people who were about to indirectly help him to make peace with his loss & sadness. those people are Carlos - a Spanish gigolo who's just arrived in Los Angeles; Charley, George's one-time-lover who's now a divorcee & seems to be still interested in him despite his sexual orientation; & Kenny, one of his students who's being captivated by him & his thoughts.
set in the year of 1962, Tom Ford's directorial debut is so beautiful to look at. adapted from Christopher Isherwood's novel, "A Single Man" is not a film for everyone, it's not your typical mainstream movie you're going to enjoy to watch with most of your fellas, but i can guarantee that this one will be very enjoyable for every open-minded movie enthusiast. the gay issue is distinctly shown along the film - the intimate relationship George once had with Jim & also the subtle but apparently not sexual relationship between George & Kenny. depressing yet deeply artsy, this film perfectly captured the beauty of loneliness & the other catastrophes. poetic. dramatic. melancholic.
artistically made with a stunning cinematography, every moment in this film is just so unique & detailed, & not forget to mention, this film is supported by the solid performances from the actors. Colin Firth's just flawless, elegant, & fascinating as always, his *devastated* character is so likable by viewers, & he played it wonderfully; & so is Julianne Moore - although she didn't appear much in the film, she successfully portrayed a divorcee with nothing else to hold on to, except her memories with George in the past. another standing ovation should also be given to Nicholas Hoult, he's young, talented, good-looking (okay, have i mentioned that he has the most beautiful eyes i've ever seen? :D), & is definitely making his way to stardom. by the way, just in case you don't remember who Nicholas Hoult is, well, he's the cute little boy in the British flick "About A Boy", does it ring a bell? he's a beautiful grown-up now xD
"A Single Man" is full of metaphor, emotionally intense, & what did help to build such melancholy yet gloomy atmosphere is the music. thanks to Abel Korzenieowski - he's such a great composer for being able to create the wonderful scores which are soothing but also 'dark' at the same time. he should receive an award for this & the fact that he was ignored in the Oscars is a total blasphemy LOL. it's a movie about tragedy, profound sadness, loss, & bittersweet love. it's cliche & flat at times - i'm referring to the plot, the storyline, which is actually crude & is not as complex as it does look. so if you're looking for a fast-paced film with conflicted plot here & there, better avoid this film.
overall, "A Single Man" is an impressive directorial debut by Tom Ford; a flick of longing, grief, & how to make peace with it - mentally & visually provoking. it'll make a perfect escapism.
"A few times in my life I've had moments of absolute clarity, when for a few brief seconds the silence drowns out the noise & I can feel rather than think, & things seem so sharp & the world seems so fresh. I can never make these moments last. I cling to them, but like everything, they fade. I have lived my life on these moments. They pull me back to the present, & I realize that everything is exactly the way it was meant to be." (George)
rate: 4/5.
download the film HERE
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