Yesterday I decided to make my way to the Lakeshore Theatre and see what all the fuss was about over A Single Man. Being Tom Fords directorial debut, the film was nominated for a slew of awards- it ended up winning Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. It’s also up for Best Actor at the Academy Awards this year. So, I decided to heed the critical buzz, throw down 9 bucks, and see it for myself.

Luckily, I agree with the buzz. The film was deeply moving, it’s characters honestly portrayed with diligence and realism.

The story goes like this: It’s 1962 and George Falconer (Colin Firth), a college professor living in Los Angeles, is grieving the loss of his partner, Jim (Matthew Goode) of 16 years. The film follows his struggle to cope with the grief, revealing his memories through a series of touching flashbacks. Throughout the film, George is contemplating suicide as the only way to ease his pain. We are introduced to his best friend Charley (Julianne Moore), who George was romantically involved with many years back. Although their relationship is now purely platonic, their friendship has never been stronger. The catalyst in the story is a young student of George’s named Kenny (Nicholas Hoult) who becomes enamored with the professor. At first, his interest seems purely academic, but soon things begin to unfold and George and Kenny spark an unlikely friendship. Ultimately, this bond brings many things to light for George.

Many will say the story is a downer, and technically, it is. But it isn’t. I won’t reveal the ending but I’ll say that it’s bittersweet. I enjoyed the film immensely. One of the most beautiful aspects, besides the amazing performances, is the superb cinematography, specifically the use of colors. The film is photographed in a dull, washed out color, reflecting the strife and hopelessness of the main character. It also serves as a greater aesthetic tool, perhaps mimicking a photograph from the 1960’s. But what’s so magnificent about this choice of photography is that it changes; whenever George experiences a moment of bliss, or is absorbed in a moment of nostalgia, the colors shift to a brighter palette. It’s as if someone has jacked up the luminosity, hyper-saturating the image. The effect is luminous, pulling us into the mindset of George’s character.

The soundtrack is another thing to ogle at. Of course, there are a handful of pop-culture hits from the 1960’s, which perfectly add to the overall flavor of the era. But the original score by Abel Korzeniowski is a resplendent composition of classical music. It’s haunting and beautiful. This is probably why it was nominated for Best Original Score at the Golden Globes this year. Find the trailer online and you’ll hear what I mean.

The last thing I’ll comment on is the performances, specifically by Julianne Moore and Colin Firth. Both actors bring an air of authenticity to the film. Like any good drama, what you see on screen is real emotion. They are really crying. And laughing. And hurting. The beauty of acting is that when it’s this great, you forget you’re watching a film. You’re just watching people dealing with life. Colin Firth, in my opinion, deserves Best Actor this year at the Academy Awards. We’ll just have to wait and see.

But don’t take my word for it. Find a time at your local theatre and check it out. If you’re a real film freak, you won’t regret it.

Trailer for A Single Man

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