A Single Man

Wednesday night provided a delightful diversion from rountine in the form of a cinema trip to see ‘A Single Man’; Tom Ford’s debut. This is a carefully contructed film, you get the feeling that Ford designed each frame as seamlessly as a Gucci suit. Perhaps so exact that it feels slightly overdone, but you can’t ignore its beguiling potency. Its poetic, artistic and stylish, oozing the 60’s vibe; I loved Colin Firth’s glasses, the James Dean lookalike, Julianne’s hair and makeup, the close-up of the eyes, the smoke. Its a film characterised by glamour and elegance, but marked with the sadness of loss and desperation. The pace is pretty slow and perhaps what this film lacks is content, but the cinematography and symbolism is what enchanted me. The colour transformation from glassy, bleak and monochrome as we are first introduced to George contrasts with the warmth and lighting in the flashbacks to his life with Jim. This is a visually mesmerising film, slightly self-indulgent on Ford’s part but the performances from pretty much the entire cast, most notably Firth add to the enjoyment. I look forward to seeing more of Ford’s filmic ventures.