George Falconer has a great life. Or, at least, it would seem so. He lives in a fashionable, upscale neighborhood, near cheerfully photogenic neighbors, in a stylish glass-and-wood house that seems directly out of Architectural Digest. He drives a sporty little Mercedes. He dresses in fashionable, conservative clothes. He is articulate and dryly humorous, assets in his profession as a literature teacher at a southern California college where he is liked and respected by his uniformly clean-cut students. And though he is discreet and low-key about his homosexuality, he seems fairly comfortable with his closet door being slightly ajar; surprisingly open seeing as how the time is November of 1962.
But George isn't happy. His lover of 16 years, Jim, died suddenly eight months previously, and George has been walking around in a fog of bereavement ever sense. On the particular day that A SINGLE MAN is set-- November 30 -- George is planning to end the evening and his life by committing suicide. That is pretty much what A SINGLE MAN is all about, George spending the day trying to tie up the loose ends of his existence so that his death won't leave behind too much of a mess – well, no more of a mess than a bullet though his brain would surely cause.
Directed, co-produced and co-written by fashion designer Tom Ford, based on a book by Christopher Isherwood, A SINGLE MAN is a tasteful, somewhat understated, occasionally amusing slice-of-life (or slice-of-death?). George, as played by Colin Firth, tries to go through his day doing all the things that are expected of him, while working out the bits and pieces of business necessary to carrying out his suicide. Like cleaning out his safety deposit box and buying bullets for his gun. He has a pleasant, but lively dinner with his gal-pal best friend (and one-time lover) Charley (Julianne Moore). He has a nice friendly chat with a Spanish male prostitute (Jon Kortajarena) who casually tries to pick him up. And he has several encounters with Kenny (Nicholas Hoult), a handsome, preppy student who is all too obviously flirting with him and also all too obviously eager to consummate their relationship. Indeed, the aggressive, persistent and sweetly sincere Kenny looks as though he could be George's rescuing angel. Maybe, or maybe not.
All of this is told in quiet, elegant good taste. Ford captures, if not the feel of the 1960's, then at least the feel of early 1960's advertising. George's neighbors look as though the are posing for ads featuring typical Americans from Life or Look magazine. Scenes are frequently shot in choreographed slow motion. Sudden close ups suggest new wave cinema. Ford has an eye for a certain artful look. Perhaps it is just a bit too artful for it's own good, as it never really gets very deep into either the mind or the soul of George. Ford tends to fixate on the superficial look of George's existence. If the film didn't pause now and again to work in flashbacks of his life with Jim (Matthew Goode), it would be difficult for the viewer to immediately realize George's ultimate goal.
But you do care for George. He is a nice man, a decent man and a truly sympathetic character. Firth's subtle performance gently seduces the viewer. As the entire film is designed to build up to his final choice – will he or won't he end it all – - it is clear where our sympathies lie. Making the film's twist ending all the more disagreeable. George makes his choice – then the story mocks that choice. A story that would have been complete and satisfying with a shot of George's suicide note to Charley burning in the fire place, instead continues on to show us that George's decision just didn't matter. Just as George is cheated out of the power of his choice, the viewer is punished for being foolish enough to care. A story about a gay man trying to take control of his destiny instead shifts gears suddenly to be a tragedy about life's cruel indifference to fairness and the ultimate fragility of existence. Whatever point the ending is trying to make is lost in the film's misplaced sense of irony. What could have been a bittersweetly uplifting drama instead becomes just another example of a gay man dying as apparent punishment for this sexuality. And what could have been inspiring, ends up being as retro in its thinking as it is in its sense of style.
But George isn't happy. His lover of 16 years, Jim, died suddenly eight months previously, and George has been walking around in a fog of bereavement ever sense. On the particular day that A SINGLE MAN is set-- November 30 -- George is planning to end the evening and his life by committing suicide. That is pretty much what A SINGLE MAN is all about, George spending the day trying to tie up the loose ends of his existence so that his death won't leave behind too much of a mess – well, no more of a mess than a bullet though his brain would surely cause.
Directed, co-produced and co-written by fashion designer Tom Ford, based on a book by Christopher Isherwood, A SINGLE MAN is a tasteful, somewhat understated, occasionally amusing slice-of-life (or slice-of-death?). George, as played by Colin Firth, tries to go through his day doing all the things that are expected of him, while working out the bits and pieces of business necessary to carrying out his suicide. Like cleaning out his safety deposit box and buying bullets for his gun. He has a pleasant, but lively dinner with his gal-pal best friend (and one-time lover) Charley (Julianne Moore). He has a nice friendly chat with a Spanish male prostitute (Jon Kortajarena) who casually tries to pick him up. And he has several encounters with Kenny (Nicholas Hoult), a handsome, preppy student who is all too obviously flirting with him and also all too obviously eager to consummate their relationship. Indeed, the aggressive, persistent and sweetly sincere Kenny looks as though he could be George's rescuing angel. Maybe, or maybe not.
All of this is told in quiet, elegant good taste. Ford captures, if not the feel of the 1960's, then at least the feel of early 1960's advertising. George's neighbors look as though the are posing for ads featuring typical Americans from Life or Look magazine. Scenes are frequently shot in choreographed slow motion. Sudden close ups suggest new wave cinema. Ford has an eye for a certain artful look. Perhaps it is just a bit too artful for it's own good, as it never really gets very deep into either the mind or the soul of George. Ford tends to fixate on the superficial look of George's existence. If the film didn't pause now and again to work in flashbacks of his life with Jim (Matthew Goode), it would be difficult for the viewer to immediately realize George's ultimate goal.
But you do care for George. He is a nice man, a decent man and a truly sympathetic character. Firth's subtle performance gently seduces the viewer. As the entire film is designed to build up to his final choice – will he or won't he end it all – - it is clear where our sympathies lie. Making the film's twist ending all the more disagreeable. George makes his choice – then the story mocks that choice. A story that would have been complete and satisfying with a shot of George's suicide note to Charley burning in the fire place, instead continues on to show us that George's decision just didn't matter. Just as George is cheated out of the power of his choice, the viewer is punished for being foolish enough to care. A story about a gay man trying to take control of his destiny instead shifts gears suddenly to be a tragedy about life's cruel indifference to fairness and the ultimate fragility of existence. Whatever point the ending is trying to make is lost in the film's misplaced sense of irony. What could have been a bittersweetly uplifting drama instead becomes just another example of a gay man dying as apparent punishment for this sexuality. And what could have been inspiring, ends up being as retro in its thinking as it is in its sense of style.