A Single Man
Icon Home Entertainment
R4 DVD
A Single Man
is based on the novel by Christopher Isherwood of the same name and the
screenplay is by Tom Ford, Tom Ford is also the director. Ford is a leading fashion
designer celebrated for his designs of luxury clothing, accessories, fragrance
and cosmetics and so it is quite a surprise to find a film that is so
emotionally powerful and revealing. It is beautiful with an incredible sense of
style and mood, even more amazing when you consider this is Ford’s directorial
debut. It is also marked by a stellar score and amazing performances. When you
consider Ford’s rather outré persona it is a surprise to find such a carefully
crafted even reserved film; there is no sex, incidental nudity and no violence.
In many ways while it is a film featuring a major gay theme, it is not a “gay”
film; it is a film about loss, life and living in the moment.
Set
in 1962 the film centres on George Falconer a professor of English literature
at a Los Angeles college. George is finding it difficult to make it through
each day. His lover of sixteen years died in a car accident some eight months
before. Due to the nature of the times George only came to know about the
accident from a “friend in the family” since Jim’s family had not time for
their relationship. He could not attend the funeral, grieve or share his loss
with anyone he knew except Charley, an old female friend. George has reached
the stage that he has made a decision to commit suicide that evening. He has
prepared his home for the occasion, booked a dinner with Charley and organized
his affairs. As he goes through the day, he begins to look at life in a new way
since he knows his death is near.
As
he meets various people he communicates more honestly, hints about his sexual
orientation in a class at the college and tries to savour every last moment.
When Kenny Potter, one of his students seems to be interested in meeting him
for a drink he takes the opportunity. As they connect George tries to
communicate his experiences of life to Kenny and after they go for a swim
George achieves a deeper understanding of himself.
This
is an unusual film, filled with beautiful images, a superior use of colour,
tone and texture and uses subtle changes in imagery to create mood. The acting
is absolutely superb, Colin Firth is utterly convincing but then so are all
involved. There are so many themes explored in Single Man from gay life in the
Sixties to finding meaning in a secular world. At the same time it is a new
form of “gay” film in that it avoids the clichés about gay bar life, partying
and sex; instead it focuses on the experience of male-male affection in a way
that I do not think any film has handled before.
One
of the more interesting themes is the isolation of gay people in a world which
does not understand them. Of course the world has moved on a lot since the
Sixties and gay people are more visible and tolerance is the name of the game.
But tolerance is not acceptance and in many ways the film reminds how far we
have to go before gay lives are celebrated and truly treated as equal to their
heterosexual equivalents. While it may be fine to be “out” at work, how many
gay people can actually discuss their partners and their lives in the same way
as their straight work mates ? While gay people may be more public and visible,
there is always a reserve (a mask) that must be worn to survive in the
“straight world”. Single Man is a thought provoking and moving film which is a
significant work of modern cinema.
Reviews appear on the Synergy website with
a single cover image. In the digital and print edition, reviews appear with
multiple images and with expanded content. We recommend you download the free digital edition (or buy the print edition) to get the most from Synergy Magazine.
This review will appear in Volume 3 No. 4 of the digital and print
edition of Synergy Magazine.
If you came to this page directly (and
missed our menu), click here to go to the
front page of Synergy Magazine Website or use the following link: http://www.synergy-magazine.com