I had no idea what to expect when I started to watch A Single Man. All I knew was that Colin Firth was in it and that it must be an arty film because it didn’t come to Kalamazoo. What I got was a heartbreaking, but wonderful, hour and a half.
A Single Man follows George Falconer (Firth), a gay man whose partner was recently killed in a car crash. Falconer is struggling to get over this loss, and throughout much of the movie, is preparing to kill himself. The movie takes place over one day (though it does show flashbacks) and is set in the early 1960s.
Firth’s stunning performance (and boy was he great) was enhanced by the imagery and music of the film. Dialogue is used to explain little in the movie; instead, the viewer is shown scenes accompanied by classical music and invited to make conclusions from there.
I’m having a hard time putting my thoughts and feelings about this movie into words (which is probably apparent). I can’t say exactly what did it, but I was completely drawn into A Single Man, and it commanded all of my attention when I was watching it. I give it a 5/5.
I'm on the waitlist for this from the library. I'm (almost) always interested in what the Coen Brothers are doing and (almost) always enjoy the results.
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