A Single Man

Plot synopsis:
George Falconer (Colin Firth) approaches a car accident in the middle of a snow-white scenery. There is a bloodied man there and he kisses him. He wakes up: he was dreaming about the moment when his partner of 16 years, Jim (Mathew Goode), died--though he was not there with him because Jim was visiting his disapproving family on his own. George remembers the phone ringing on that fateful day, when Jim's cousin told him about the fatal accident, and how George was not welcome to attend the funeral, because of the family's homophobia (common for the period and later). George remembers breaking down to Charley (Julianne Moore) that day, his best friend from his life in London, who had also relocated to LA; once briefly sexually attached to George before he was completely honest with himself, she may still feel attracted to him.George showers and dresses. It's November 30, 1962, the eve of the Cuban missile crisis. Though British, he is now a professor of English at UCLA. He is depressed, never having recovered from his loss; and when he leaves for work, he packs a gun in his briefcase.He tells his cleaning lady Alva (Paulette Lamori) that she has always been wonderful - in spite of her having forgotten to take out the bread from the fridge. George hugs her, which leaves her utterly confused.On campus, George notices a couple of students, chain-smoking Lois (Nicole Steinwedell) and a boy. One of the secretaries (Keri Lynn Pratt) tells him that she has given his address to some nice new student; it turns out to be this boy, Kenny Potter (Nicholas Hoult), who talks to him after class about the speech George has just given out in the classroom concerning minorities and fear. Kenny discusses recreational drug use with Kenny who tells him that he had never heard George express himself so openly in class as he had that day. He buys George a pencil sharpener as a token of gratitude for George's talking with him.George phones Charley, who is dressing for the dinner they have planned at her home. George gets into his car, and picks his gun after having cleaned up his office. However, Kenny appears once again, and invites him to go for a drink, observing George's depression and having noticed that he has cleaned out the desk in his office. George tells him it will have to be some other time. He goes to the bank to pick up various things from his safe deposit box, and when looking at a photo of his deceased lover, recalls a conversation with him on the beach.After buying some bullets, he goes to a convenience store. There, Carlos (Jon Kortajarena) bumps onto him, breaking the bottle of Scotch he has just bought. George buys a new bottle of Scotch and they talk. They smoke a few cigarettes and drink a bottle of gin together. George leaves, refusing Carlos' offer of company, saying that this is a serious day for him and that he's trying to get over an old love.At home, he puts on a record and remembers a conversation with Jim while each one was reading a different book on a couch. He pretends shooting himself as practice for later that night, but in a semi-comic scene, can't find the best position in which to accomplish it. Charley calls to remind him of their dinner plans, which he grudgingly attends after leaving a note and some money for Alva. They dance and talk about London, life, Charley's ex-husband's abandonment, and she offends George by suggesting that they might have had a "normal" life together if he hadn't been a "poof." Charley says George doesn't look well, reminding him of the heart attack he suffered near the time of Jim's death. Charley tries to convince George to spend the night at her home, but he leaves.The scene flashes back to 1946 when Jim and George had met when at a bar. Jim was on leave from the Army, right after the second world war. Returning to1962, we see George returning to the same bar, near his home; now a quiet place where he asks for a Scotch.Kenny has followed him there. They talk and then go to the beach and swim naked. They go to George's place. As George's forehead is bleeding, Kenny tends to it, and sees in the medicine's cabinet a nude photo of Jim. George sees Kenny strip off his wet clothes, but does nothing. Kenny says that he and Lois are not romantically involved. Not unlike George and Charley in the distant past, Kenny explains that they had a brief sexual liason. Kenny and George do not have sex, and Kenny stays on the couch, given the very late hour.George wakes in a few hours, and finds his gun under Kenny's covers and removes it, locking it up as Kenny sleeps. When he returns to bed, George dies of a heart attack, seeing the image of Jim kissing his forehead.

Tags: romantic, queer, flashback

Review:
Colin Firth's performance screams "Best Actor" (which he did win at the Venice Film Festival), Julianne Moore is exquisite, and Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy, Skins) is on his way to stardom.
And I wasn't disappointed – it actually exceeded all my expectations, and alongside Jane Campion's "Bright Star" (which unfortunately is being almost completely overlooked this awards season), it's the most poetic 2009 film I have seen so far.Firth, always elegant and fascinating, plays George Falconer, a British professor in 1960's Los Angeles trying to cope with the death of his long-term partner, Jim (Matthew Goode).
It's not every day we're given a film with such emotional intensity and exuberant sensuality, and "A Single Man" proves that Tom Ford is certainly a promising director, having given us not just a great first film, but one also one of the year's finest and most unusual creations.
But the meticulously edited trailer gives no hint of the warmth and humour that underscore this potentially bleak meditation on love and loss.The action takes place over the course of just one day (and night) -- 30 November 1962 -- in the life of handsome, middle-aged college professor George (Colin Firth).
George is an English professor who has recently lost his longtime boyfriend in a car crash and is having trouble dealing with not only the loss, but his extremely lonely life.A Single Man is an extremely overrated movie.
The visuals can be impressive at times and Tom Ford's use of altering the colors to emphasize scenes is the only thing I can really commend about A Single Man.Apparently George is a guy magnet as well because everywhere he goes he meets an overly attractive and absurdly articulate gay man.
He also recognizes those singular moments in life when one sees with absolute clarity, and the way director Tom Ford tells us this is touching and profound.The fact that the people involved in this story are gay is secondary, although it is nice that the movie shows us these relationships are like any other, and the painful consequences of societal rejection.
There is a fussiness over art direction and costuming that always draws attention to itself, but which often doesn't feel right for the characters or even the period (Julianne Moore wears a op-art style dress that didn't come in till several years later, the little girl next door wears ridiculously elaborate dresses to play outside).There are endless slow motion shots of flowing gowns and macro close ups of eyes (and more importantly eye make up) that are utterly meaningless, apart from Ford going: "Look, isn't that pretty!".
The film never flows, because Ford's camera constantly leers at fabric, mascara or modernist teak furniture.As to the performances, Julianne Moore gives good fag hag and can this type of role in her sleep now and Colin Firth does his detached Englishman thing and displays a dry wit that makes the occasional moment work.
First time writer/director Tom Ford, adapts the novel by Christopher Isherwood, A Single Man starring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, and Matthew Goode.When College Professor George (Firth) loses his lover Jim (Goode) to a tragic accident while visiting his family, George endures a high level of depression and despair.
Starring: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode, Jon Kortajarena, Paulette Lamori, Ryan Simpkins, Ginnifer Goodwin, Lee Pace.Isherwood's novel comes to life as a homosexual college professor (Firth) deals with the death of his life long partner and contemplating suicide as encounters with an alcoholic neighbor and a smitten student of his makes him rethink his decision.A nicely crafted adaptation of Isherwood's novel takes us down a journey into the depths of deep sorrow aided by fine performances from Firth (in his most dynamic role yet) and Moore as his alcoholic neighbor and sharp, personal direction from fashion designer Ford.The thing that weighs the film down is the fact that the storytelling is dry and boring with no new insights on the issues of grief except for the fact that it presents it through the eyes of a homosexual.
A Single Man (2009) - Perhaps I should have lowered my expectations, but Colin Firth's Oscar nominated performance gave me hope that I was to also see a great film.
And yet, somehow that makes him an ideal candidate for the job, given his sense for the visual, which is why A Single Man is among the more interesting directorial debuts of recent years.Based on the eponymous, celebrated novel by Christopher Isherwood, the film is set during one single day in 1962.
The protagonist is George Falconer (Colin Firth), a respected English professor who has become dissatisfied with life after the death of his longtime partner Jim (Matthew Goode, seen in flashbacks), to the point that he contemplates suicide.
However, with the help of an old friend (Julianne Moore) and one of his students (Nicholas Hoult), he might still be able to find something to hang onto before it's too late.As mentioned before, Ford has an eye for how a picture should look, and on that level A Single Man is practically faultless: the period reconstruction is reminiscent of Mad Men, a thing that shouldn't come as a surprise given the costume designer is the same (and as a bonus, Jon Hamm has an uncredited vocal role at the start of the movie), and gives a perfect idea of time and place.
It's an approach that doesn't sit well with the thematic simplicity attached to the unpretentious screenplay.More than anything, though, this is an actors' film, specifically one actor: sure, Ford deserves credit for making sure even the small parts are given to proper thespians (Lee Pace, Ginnifer Goodwin) and coaxing a lively, sympathetic performance out of Matthew Goode (compare with his other period piece, the rather dull Brideshead Revisited), not to mention Julianne Moore who hasn't had the chance to play such a meaty part in quite some time, but in the end it all comes down to Firth's ability to carry the entire picture.
Starting with the beautiful novel of a gay British professor's planned last day of life in Southern California by Christopher Isherwood, adapted for the screen by Tom Ford with dignity and the power to open up the subtleties of Isherwood's book without treading on the solemnity of the books message, directed by that same newcomer Tom Ford with conviction and identification with Isherwood's characters, and then acted with consummate skill by Colin Firth as single man George who is surrounded with an excellent supporting cast - this film is in a class by itself and hopefully those who decide on the awards for best film/best acting will honor it.
As he draws closer to what he expects to be his final moments, he becomes more immersed in memories of his past with Jim. However, two flesh-and-blood people figure prominently that day - his best friend Charley, an aging alcoholic socialite with whom he made a long-ago attempt at a fling, and a smitten student named Kenny, who appears to be grappling with his sexual identity through his obvious but inarticulate attraction to George.Firth holds the film together with a genuinely thoughtful performance.
I wasn't familiar with the Isherwood story, but appreciated that the main character, George Falconer, was an English teacher--a way to pay tribute to literature and art in this very artful film.So many beautiful moments were poignant without becoming precious or pretentious, but perhaps the most memorable was the scene when George encounters a dog like the breed he had once shared with his late partner.
Fashion all-star Tom Ford's directorial debut is an adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's landmark novel A Single Man. Set in 1962 (and brought to life by the production design crew responsible for the razor-sharp Mad Men series), the film stars Colin Firth as George, a gay English professor living in Santa Monica, trying and failing to deal with the loss of his lover of 16 years.
That George is gay is both intrinsic to the story and utterly inconsequential: aside from being beautiful and looking like it cost hundreds of thousands of dollars his sadness is normal, and ordinary, and real, and that Firth manages it so well is unsurprisingly the true grace of the film.
Tom Ford's exquisitely perceptive effort of a Christopher Isherwood story here is not to be lost on the homophobes who won't see it, and the more enlightened among us know that love is love no matter with whom and is a delicate gift easily lost by anyone, as was seen in this so touching and painful early 1960's story of a gay L.A. small college professor played by Colin Firth.
I like subtle films, in general, but I failed to see the point of Tom Ford's debut feature, 'A Single Man'.
Christopher Isherwood once said that his 1964 novel "A Single Man" was more about middle age than gay love but in this adaptation for the screen, Tom Ford, the former Gucci fashion designer, has, in his debut as a director, managed to produce a handsome designer ode to sex, life and death from a gay point of view.
Ford has George waking up some months after the death of his lover Jim (Matthew Goode) in a car accident with the intention of ending the day with suicide.During the day he goes to work, teaches his English Lit class at an LA college, does a little shopping including buying some fresh ammunition for his handgun (only in America), and goes to dinner at the home of an old female friend (Julianne Moore).
Amazing performances and outstanding music, resulting in a great and really simple but depressive story brilliantly executed, with grace, calm and beauty above all.Don't care if it reminds in any way to "American Beauty", which in my case it didn't but I see here that to many it did, thats a great film to be compared to, so If i was the director I'd actually see that as an honor, even if those who compare it don't intend to do so.A single man is a great piece of American cinema, specially when it delivers such great but calm pace in times when everything, specially the movies, are always in a rush.
Colin Firth perfectly embodied, with an incredible accuracy, his hyper sensitive character and his performance greatly contributes to the sincerity of the movie, and this is the only true satisfaction that can be drawn from it.First, the script consists of a succession of very linear anecdotes, it tries to be profound however what emerges is a clear superficiality, the situations, the characters are stuck, and though the film is concise (barely 1h30), you're bored.Second, a lot of people point out the cinematographic skills of Tom Ford, yet nothing really stands out from his approach: the mise-en-scène is rather good but the over-sophisticated cinematography suffers from a few dispensable tics and most importantly, it's not subtle at all, think of the work on the colours and lighting too obvious to be good.Tom Ford, who apparently stake everything on aesthetics, should have been as demanding regarding his story, which is ultimately shallow and feels empty..
The direction is still and moves within beautifully designed sets and costumes, while the cinematography is good enough to survive the slightly gimmick feel that the visual toning that some scenes have.Overall, A Single Man turns out not to be that good a film.
This is an odd film that will not appeal to everyone - it did not especially appeal to me - and it probably works better as a book (it is based on a 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood).Set in Los Angeles at the time of the Cuba missile crisis of 1962, it tells the story of one day - possibly to be the last - in the life of British professor, discretely gay George Falconer (Colin Firth) but with repeated flashbacks.
The narrative is seen through the prism of three relationships with George, all former or would-be lovers: his beloved partner Jim (Matthew Goode effecting a convincing American accent) who is recently deceased in a car accident, fellow British expat Charley (Julianne Moore managing a very effective English accent) who want him to return to her or London or both, and a sensitive student Kenny (Nicholas Hoult) who sees his pain and wishes to assuage it in the best way he knows how.Firth gives an outstanding performance in the eponymous role and his portrayal of grief is heartrending in this melancholic tale.
His nihilistic attitude, the cheeky gay encounters, the dancing with Julianne Moore and the clumsy hilarious suicide-by-gun rehearsal, a classic scene, the naked night swimming and the surprise ending all still stick in my mind.I think a lot of people will recognize a part of themselves in Colin Firth's persona in this film (for example fantasizing about suicide), and that is what contributes to the success of his performance.
Not only did he accomplish to film Christopher Isherwood's novel about a man in circa 1962, who tries to pull his life together (or does he?) after his boyfriend of sixteen years died in a car accident, without pathos or tear jerking, both Ford and his d.p., Eduard Grau, rise to the occasion and are presenting not just a feature but moving portraits, where colors get drenched and enhanced, the actors are positioned like a work of art and every shot in this amazing movie is suitable for framing.
The story is a romantic tale of love interrupted, the isolation that is an inherent part of the human condition, and ultimately the importance of the seemingly smaller moments in life.I was looking forward to watch A Single Man, mainly because it's fashion designer Tom Ford directorial debut and partially because I heard good things about it.
The fact of the matter is, if you take the visual aspect of the film out of the equation, then A Single Man would probably be a very mediocre piece of work.Colin Firth, who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance, was in fact pretty great as the lonely and depressed George but I don't think his performance was necessarily Oscar material.
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.
Colin Firth's capabilities as an actor are proved yet again, amazing, along with other cast like "Goode" although realistically this is a one man movie where the plot and script revolve around "The Single Man's" past and present life, his encounters and his summing up of what is past and how to carry on in the future, that is not to say the supporting cats all are convincing in their roles but the movie revolves around the one main character.
George is isolated in many scenes (single man) which doesn't call for much dialogue, but we still are able to see his feelings through Ford's directing and Firth's powerful acting.
Ford also does a really good job of making us feel sorry for George and help us visualize what it would be like to step in his shoes, causing "A Single Man" to be very moving.
Nicholas Hoult finally brings a bit of new acting styles to the film, but never up stages Firth at any point, Colin controls this all the way through.Tom Ford the director injects an artistic vision in to this which can at times pay off, but also not do that well, it can very annoying to see the shades of colour used and the sets can seem as if they are too glossy maybe.
The slight storyline lacks a strong punch despite excellent acting from Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult and Colin Firth.Adapted from a book by Christopher Isherwood, the film follows an unhappy single day in the life of a bereaved single gay man, George Falconer (Firth) whose partner has died in a road accident.Falconer is an expatriate Englishman in Los Angeles in the early 1960s.
We can observe that he did not overcome it but he is trying very hard to continue his life with that.Colin Firth (George) plays as this single man who is also a professor and he has a woman friend who is Julianne Moore (Charley) and she is desires him very much.
Tom Ford's directorial debut A Single Man, based on the 1964 Christopher Isherwood novel, is a thing of beauty.
Set in Los Angeles in 1962, A Single Man is a day in the life of aging English professor George Falconer (Colin Firth), who's struggling to come to terms with the death of his partner Jim (Matthew Goode) in a car crash.
If you didn't know that director Tom Ford was a fashion designer, you probably would have guessed his former occupation while watching his feature-film directorial debut in 'A Single Man'.
Constantly dwelling on the grief of the past and never wanting to touch upon the uncertain future, 'A Single Man' follows George throughout a day in suburban California as he travels from his day job as University Professor to the home of his close-friend Charley (Julianne Moore), before meeting one his students Kenny (Nicholas Hoult) who seems to understand George for who he is.When you take on-board a project in which the main brunt of the narrative is focused around the inner workings, the inner-psychological nature, of a man battling the issues of grief, repetition, loneliness and nihilism, you need a strong leading actor or actress in which to convey the character at hand, and Colin Firth does this perfectly.
Colin Firth is "A Single Man" in this 2009 film directed by Tom Ford and also starring Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult and Matthew Goode.
It's about a day in the life of George Falconer (Colin Firth), an English college professor struggling to cope with the death of his lover Jim, played by the dashing Matthew Goode *sigh*.Tom Ford does a wonderful job with his directorial debut.