A Single Man (Rhoades)

“A Single Man” In a Single Day
Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades

Sometimes a guy isn’t married for a reason. That’s the case in “A Single Man.”

This is the story of George (a nice performance by Colin Firth), a gay middle-aged college professor who is coming to terms with the death of his longtime partner, Jim (Matthew Goode). Consumed by loneliness and questions about the future, George contemplates suicide. Before meeting his friend Charlotte (Julienne Moore) for dinner, he has an encounter with a male prostitute (Jon Kortajarena). Meanwhile, he’s being stalked by a young college student (Nicholas Hoult) who suspects a kinship.

“A Single Man” can be found playing at the Tropic Cinema.

Colin Firth came to our attention as Darcy in the BBC-TV production of “Pride and Prejudice.” His stock as a film star rose after his appearance as the suitor in “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” He was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew in the recent Disney’s “A Christmas Carol.”

Matthew Goode is an up-and-comer, currently the romantic lead in the new Amy Adams comedy, “Leap Year.”

Julienne Moore has appeared in many notable films, ranging from “Short Cuts” to “Jurassic Park.” She’s also one of the faces for Revlon.

Noted fashion designer Tom Ford makes his directorial debut with “A Single Man.” No, it’s not autobiographical for Ford. He based the film on the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood.

Literary critic Edmund White (a longtime Key West visitor) has called it “one of the first and best novels of the modern gay liberation movement.”

The film is achieving its own kudos, having picked up several Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice awards so far. Ford is hoping for an Academy Award nomination. Maybe.

Set in Southern California during the ’60s, the sets were designed by the team who did TV’s “Mad Men,” a show that takes place in the same era. A highly stylized view, the visuals nearly overwhelm the story.

This being Ford’s first film, he financed it himself. But the result – a tender story of loneliness and loss – is more than an ego piece by a rich designer. Ford might just be tempted to abandon the fashion world for a film career.

srhoades@aol.com
[from Solares Hill]