A Singed Man

In 1964, Christopher Isherwood penned the novel "A Single Man". It is now considered to be one of the best novels of the gay liberation movement of the 1960's. Set in the Los Angeles area, in 1962, it concerns a single day in the life of George Falconer, a gay, fiftyish college professor, who is in mourning for the untimely death of Jim, his younger lover. Isherwood dedicated the novel to Gore Vidal.

George's (Colin Firth) life is at a virtual standstill. He goes to work and takes care of his obligations but he is most likely to be lost in thought about Jim (Matthew Goode), who died in a car crash on an icy road. Everything has ceased to have meaning for George. He sees no point in going on but does not have a strong enough desire to take his own life. This leaves him floating in a netherworld that is primarily confined to memories.

George's best friend/neighbor, Charley (Julianne Moore), is an ex-love from when George either believed he was a heterosexual or was trying to be. She is the one who George still turns to for comfort, even if she vainly longs for more from their relationship. Charley has the look of a beautiful woman who is about to head down the other side of the mountain, if she has not already begun the descent. Their friendship is the kind that we all hope for in our lives. There is genuine mutual love and caring between them.

George is jolted out of his stupor when Kenny (Nicholas Hoult), one of his students, hits on him. This both wakes him up and makes him understand himself better. More importantly, it reinforces what is most important in life to George.

Fashion designer Tom Ford directs and the film is certainly very "artsy". At times it even qualifies as art. At other times it's a tad too much so, often disappearing into extreme close-ups and constantly jumping from color to sepia to black and white. Ford's tactics work for the most part but his need to over-direct often takes the viewer out of the story. On a positive note, Firth is flat-out great and Ms. Moore also does her usual fine job.

At one point, "A Single Man" reminded me of the distinct look of a Hitchcock production. Soon after I thought this, an ad for "Psycho" appeared in the background. I'm not sure if this is by coincidence. Most of the males here look like they stepped out of a Calvin Klein ad. What does that have to do with evaluating "A Single Man"? Not much, other than it was another distraction in an otherwise solid film. While I enjoyed and appreciated what I saw, there were too many moments when my mind drifted into minutiae outside of the story. "Single Man" needs a more singular focus.