A Single Man (2009)

Some films aren't revelations, exactly, but they burrow so deeply into old truths about love and loss and the mess and thrill of life, they seem new anyway. A Single Man is one such film, one of the best of 2009

A singularly enjoyable and moving film.

Firth plays him as a man of his time who is also mournfully ahead of his time. He's addicted to his own broken heart. A Single Man may break yours as well.

It’s a film of stunning beauty and deep underlying sadness, a self-financed labor of love filled with impossibly gorgeous, oft-unclothed men and dazzling eye candy.

Tom Ford -- the Texas-born fashion designer who for a decade was the creative director at Gucci -- financed this first feature himself. The producer couldn't have hired a smarter director.

Like the speck of sand that seeds a pearl, it’s the tiny fleck of kitsch at the heart of “A Single Man” that makes it luminous and treasurable, despite its imperfections.

For the most part, Ford has done good by the film, infusing a sad story with warmth and humor to spare. While loss is what makes George's experience universal, heart is what gives him such life.

An exquisite, almost sensual grief suffuses every frame of A Single Man.

Everything fits perfectly, from titles to fin, but most of all Firth, who dons the role of George like a fine bespoke suit.

The film belongs to Firth. Uncanny at showing the heart crumbling under George's elegant exterior, he gives the performance of his career.

A hauntingly beautiful portrait of grief, quiet dignity, and the profound search for connection amidst overwhelming loss.2013 (4.5)Directed by Tom Ford, "A Single Man" (2009) is a stylish and emotionally devastating drama based on the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood. Set in Los Angeles in November 1962, amidst the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the film follows George Falconer, a middle-aged British college professor struggling to find meaning in his daily existence following the sudden, tragic death of his partner of sixteen years, Jim. Spanning a single day as George meticulously prepares to end his life, the story observes his quiet interactions with the world around him—from a lingering conversation with his vibrant, long-time friend Charley, to a chance connection with an insightful student named Kenny who senses his deep despair. Through exquisite visual aesthetics, sharp color contrasts that shift with George's fleeting emotional awakening, and a mesmerizing, career-defining performance by Colin Firth, the film captures the heavy weight of loneliness, the fragility of human intimacy, and the lingering beauty found in life's most quiet moments.

This is a very good Colin Firth flick. It's a nicely put together film, with a meaningful story portrayed strongly. Firth gives a big performance in the lead role, with him being the only standout performer - though the supporting trio of Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult and Matthew Goode are all solid co-stars. Jon Hamm, meanwhile, has a cameo; when I heard it, I actually thought it was Armie Hammer. My only criticism is the (intentional, of course) colour saturation, which kinda made a few of the scenes look cheap (if still minorly effective) in my opinion. That's nothing major though, as I enjoyed watching this 2009 release.

I thought this was a really poignant film. Its about loss and I felt a bit about the English 'stiff upper lip', with the main character being an English ex-pat. Its set in the 1960s, at a time when there were fears about a potential cold war and the like and indeed there are aspects of the main character, George, of his life that he feels unable to share with others. Its fair to say that secrets is one of the main themes of the film. Its also about enforced isolation. It is quite a colourful film, in a literal sense, with a yellow-ish tinge present for some of the running time - at another point its more of a rosy pink/red shade. There is a bit of an arty feel to this film but its not like others with a riddle type feel to the dialogue. This film has less in the way of dialogue but leaves the viewer to decide what they think may be to come, what George is thinking and when, or if, others may intervene. Before I watched it, I knew the basic plot and so I was aware it would be a sobering watch, which of course it was but I'd say it was more ****, almost philosophical type of a watch, rather than a fast paced, direct face to face emotional sob-fest of a watch (if that makes any sense?). Its more thoughtful and sobering than it is a case of being a direct tearjerker, or an violent action type film. Having said that, if you have had direct experience of suicide or suicidal thoughts then its probably best to avoid this film (I don't view this as a spoiler as such as its part of the main plot which is mentioned in most websites synopsis of the film). I'm not sure I could describe it any clearer than that. While it is undoubtedly an arty type film, it didn't come across to me as especially pretentious, which is a plus point in my books. Although, having said that, there is some classical music played at one point which perhaps felt a bit forced but it didn't overly bother me as such. One thing I found particularly moving was the children in the area, young kids - how George observed and interacted with them. It made me think about how society was at the time it was set, how people felt unable to talk about certain things and the uncertainty of the future in different ways - I suppose as far as uncertainty goes, politically speaking we're no better nowadays (at the time of typing this review) but thats a whole other subject!. I would recommend this film, not least for Colin Firths performance as George.

A fantastic movie, that shows Ford has style but also some substance. Firth shines in this poignant movie about grief.

One of the best LGBT movies. This film is very soft, calm, colorful and at the same time dark. Masterpiece itself

Colin Firth plays an absorbing role as a university teacher looking for a new direction in his life after the tragic death of his partner, at a time that homosexuality was not accepted. A must to see with open mind.

This was a real surprise. The director (Tom Ford) is a fashion designer, not a movie director. It is a very simple story about a guy missing his ex boyfriend. Colin Firth is always good to see ( my favorite performance of his is Valmont). Photographed very nicely by Eduard Grau (The Gift), who has not done anything else of this caliber. The visuals look like a series of perfume ads, and as such should not feel so personal and touching as it does. If you never had your heart broke and could still feel the passion burning for the lost love, this movie will take you back to that moment and put you there and make you remember that missing your love is the next best thing to having them, maybe because when you had the love there was so much pain, the pain of if nothing else, that it was not meant to last.

aptly horrifying and tender at the same time.. A Single Man Ford's debut major motion picture is more beautiful in its own poem then it accounts for its sinister nature. Yes, it has a bit sadistic tone but it somehow how is contradictory to what it pretends to be, which is something rare and mesmerizing that we do not usually get. As much as simple the tale is, the narration is equally twisted where the editing plays a major role in here. And since the tale is simply sensible, all the big guns are directed towards the characters. And boy, what a character projection it has. It goes in deep, it shows you newer and more naked territories than you have ever seen. Just the trajectory of the entire thinking of a character's each move itself is pure brilliance. Addition to that, taking only around an hour and a half to convey this message it is thoroughly competent and heartbreaking to encounter this feature. With a perpetually sane background score that is aptly horrifying and tender at the same time, Ford's vision is just as sharp as those musical notes. On the screen to foliate all these words into an act, Firth has never been much more armed than he is in this complex English professor's suit. He reads and he speaks, he consumes and he then roars, it is a sensational portrayal of his that demands attention of the viewers. And supporting him convincingly, Moore stands on her ground where even the fumbling is all part of an act. The emotions transferred from ones to the others through their action, is one of the best thing that Ford fiddles with, he keeps the road so shady and under an unknown supervision that you ought to be careful and attentive towards each details. A Single Man is actually the work of both Ford and Firth, both of them makes a lethal duo on screen, a force to be reckoned with.

A single man may be not the most complementary story, but the beautiful directing by Tom Ford turning this movie into a visual beauty and getting Colin Firth and Julianne Moore great performances are the elements that makes this picture to succeed and to be remembered

A Single Man is the first work of Tom Ford in film industry and has nothing to envy movies from well acclaimed directors. I actually got to see this picture after the tremendous success of Nocturnal Animals. As in that film, here there is a perfect blend between human drama with crude action. Interesting thing is that, the drama not only involves social relationships, but also mid-age crisis, which certainly combines with an outrageous incident, shaking the protagonist life, living him (her in Nocturnal Animals) naked and alone facing the contemporary world. These, surely, makes them doubt the present, revive the past and let the future drift. The thing with Tom Ford and what makes so unique his direction; is that without neglecting clue aspects like screenplay, music and performances (which are wit, straight to the point and superb, especially Colin Firth), some accessory features take an important part in the significance of the film, changes in illumination, costume design and make-up; all together in full coherence with the rest of the film.

Beautiful and tragic. The cinematography, acting, music and rhythm all help convey this regardless of the loose plot. The ending too much so for my taste. Wasn't sure how to feel about all the saturation changes in the picture. They're too obvious in what they stand for, but are mostly applied with subtlety and elegance. I think it worked.

Practically a prolonged advertisement for Tom Ford suits at times, A Single Man matches its stylish outer lair with a deep character study that brings plenty of substance to make it a truly perfect blend of style and substance. Colin Firth is phenomenal in the starring role as a grieving man who is dealing with the loss of his gay lover while balancing his current life. A tale of love and loss, A Single Man is blessed with fantastic cinematography that really makes its lush style come to life and gentle writing and direction from Tom Ford to give us this worthy character study that feels as if it rings entirely true. The score is also phenomenal and really takes center stage at times in this film that often feels like moving poetry. As an overall film, A Single Man is well told and incredibly well crafted turning it into a film that makes you cry because of both its story and its sheer beauty.

So powerfully poignant, it's sure to strike the heart of any. A Single Man explores the unique life of one man, his sexuality and his relationship with a younger version of himself. With a superb story and cast--it's a masterpiece.

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One of the best movies of Firth. It is a really well told story. First of all, the topic that transcends genders, the hurt one, sad because of the lose of the love of his life. A must see

fashion designer turned director/writer/producer Tom Ford provided the biggest cinematic surprise in the whole year 2009 with his debut picture A Single Man. I've always liked films about homosexuality (okay, most of them. There's rubbish in this genre as well) and this one is an absolute stand-out. Colin Firth foreshadowed his creaming off the profits for follow-up The King's Speech, with his ceaselessly realistic turn as a secretly gay college professor who grieves about the death of his long-time lover. While 2010's TKS is a such a flawless perfection of movie making, ASM's plot is more interesting and the final good is mesmerizingly artsy. Nicholas Hoult, relatively unknown by the time this film was made, impresses as the young student who comes in the life of Firth's character after his loss, and Matthew Goode makes the best out of his little screen time. I never expected that a first-time-filmmaker would be able to stun me as much as Tom Ford did with this movie. The use of colors to express emotions, the ability to turn mundane conversations into such absorbing dialogue, the knowledge of how to use the score (oh, so beautiful!) in due time, etc. It's not a movie to watch many times since it gets a bit boring then, but at first watch, you'll be overwhelmed by this movie.

Although the subject matter was tragically deep and at times truthfully poignant, the ability to execute this film as a solid narrative was a failure of first time director Tom Ford. While the writing was generally decent (Ford was also co-writer in addition to his directing role) his direction ultimately left me pining for something more real and gritty and less flashy with sprinkles of shallowness of the side . Sadly a lot of the movie itself felt like a really long perfume advert. The best thing about 'A Single Man' was simply the wonderful and divine Colin Firth.

Absolutely horrible. It was so boring. I feel asleep. The replication of the early 60's was excellent but the entire plot and script were so dull. Just writing about it almost puts me to sleep.

It's funny as children, at least in my case, when we think adults have it completely together. That don't have to deal with the day-to-day uncertainty and learning we do. That they know it all. A Single Man is a misnomer. Not knowing the story line, I felt as though the movie was literally about a single man. And, yes, while he IS a single man, the reality is, this movie is rooted at perspective. More precisely, the differences in perspective. Male vs. female. Old vs. young. Teacher vs. student. Happy vs. sad. Such a very human film, A Single Man is a rivetingly written and acted portrayal of a love unexpectedly lost. In all its flaws and sadness, a man struggles with the sudden loss of his true love, feeling like he's supposed to move on, to live and tries very hard over a year to do so. Yet, he realizes time doesn't heal him and the clarity he finally comes to is that death is much better than the life he's made to live without his love. He attempts to take his life and just can't seem to do it, no matter how much he may want to. In the end, life takes him, just as a part of him is shown a slice of being able to move forward. Colin Firth's performance is even better than his Oscar-winning role in the King's Speech, proving he is one of the most underrated talents in film. The key to this film though is the story and flawless direction. This one is not to be missed.

it's one of the best movies ever. Nicholas Hoult and Colin Firth makes this movie one you can't miss. their performance of their character is absolutely amazing and Tom Ford has really made a movie that is worth a 10!!!