Colin Firth in A Single Man (top); Firth and Matthew Goode play lovers in A Single Man (bottom)
Winner of the Queer Lion for best gay-themed film, A Single Man chronicles the emotional struggles of a suicidal middle-aged college professor mourning the sudden death of his partner of 16 years in a car accident. During that period — one day in 1962 in Los Angeles (a time when gay sex was still illegal in California) — the world is facing the Cuban missile crisis.
Loosely based on Christopher Isherwood's 1964 novel, A Single Man was directed by fashion designer-turned-filmmaker Tom Ford, and adapted by Ford and David Scearce.
Colin Firth, Julianne Moore in A Single Man
Colin Firth won the best actor award at the 2009 Venice Film Festival for his portrayal of the bereaved professor. Matthew Goode plays his lover and Julianne Moore is an old friend still pining for Firth's character.
Also in the A Single Man cast: Nicholas Hoult (best known as the weird kid in About a Boy) as a clever student who understands that education isn't found only in books, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Paulette Lamori.
Julianne Moore (top); Tom Ford directs Colin Firth on the set of A Single Man
"It’s no surprise that the feature film directing debut of fashion designer Tom Ford is a thing of heart-stopping beauty," wrote Wendy Ide in the London Times. "He celebrates the male form with a sensual reverence. He uses colour with the visual articulacy of Wong Kar Wai and frames his shots with elegance and wit. It looks like a Wallpaper magazine photo shoot styled by Douglas Sirk. But what is a little more unexpected, certainly for those who were suspicious of Ford’s background in the ephemeral world of fashion, is that this is no frothy, throwaway piece of pretty silliness. Rather it’s a work of emotional honesty and authenticity which announces the arrival of a serious filmmaking talent."
Organizers of the Queer Lion award praised A Single Man for "the formal perfection of this portrayal of a man and the dignity of his love, which reminds us of the absolute necessity of laws guaranteeing the equality of rights, so that all love can be lived openly in the light of day."
Photos: Courtesy Venice Film Festival
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Christopher; did you get get a chance to see it? It's award season in the States and it's Colin and Julianne are nominated for Best Lead Actor and Actress. Let me know. I'm sure there has to be a way for you to see it.
Someone please tell me when this will be released in UK cinemas.
We never get any arthouse movies in Northern Ireland, such a pity.