A Single Man

Cast: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult

Director: Tom Ford

To be honest, I'm still at loss for words after watching this film. I guess there were just too many to describe the film, but to sum it up, A Single Man was brilliant. It was tastefully done, the acting was magnificent, and the aesthetics? Beautiful! This is now officially my favorite film of all four actors involved. Everything was done in detail and with finesse. For Tom Ford's directorial debut, he adapted a good story and he has done so with style. For this review, I've decided to break it into three parts: plot, design and music.

Plot. George was a college professor in a local university set in 1960. From the beginning, we see that he is in mourning for the loss of his lover of 16 years. As the film progressed, we get a glimpse of what their relationship was like, as well as his thoughts and his emotions. The film was set in a span of a day, a life changing day for him. As he goes through his daily activities, we get to meet an old friend of his who also harbors her own thoughts with regards to him, and we see him forge connections with different people. As the day progressed, we see how everything would come together and alter his life decision. How Tom Ford interpreted the novel into a movie was done beautifully. The four actors were excellent, Colin Firth especially. No matter what role he plays, he always comes off as classy. Lovely, simply lovely. I was loss for words after watching the film. It's heartbreaking.

Design. I love the details in the film. The house George and Jim shared was beautiful; it was simple yet the architecture was amazing. I did a little research and it was designed by John Lautner, the house going in the market for $1.5 million (click here and here to read about it). Tom Ford made the 1960's look amazing; the team behind the production design also did Mad Men (and based on what I've seen, Mad Men's design is also wonderful).

Music. The score is amazing! It's fitting for the film. It helps bring out the emotions that George is feeling, and it helps set the mood of the entire day. This is one of those films that I listened to the music accompanying the film. This really is a must watch. One of the finest films they all made. Plus, this is Tom Ford's directorial debut and I must say, he did an excellent job.