A Single Man

Directed by Tom Ford, novel by Christopher Isherwood, written for screen by Tom Ford and David Scearce. Produced by Artina Films, Depth of Field, Fade to Black Productions. Rated R for adult content (and brief nudity--barely.) (This movie was distributed in too many countries to list. It received numerous nominations and awards. See below.

I saw (Netflix rental) A Single Man Feb. 25, 2011. I now see this title can be taken two ways. A Single Man as in not married. And A Single Man as in one man in a population of millions--does that make him insignificant or more important to the overall culture?

I seem to be a couple years behind the rest of the world in viewing relevant movies. I have been on a trek to experience all of Matthew Goode's roles. I still marvel at his ability to be a different person in each movie. He's amazing. Minus Chasing Liberty. Oh well, "you can't win 'em all," so they say.

And I can't seem to find the perfect word to describe this quality in a movie...it's beyond good. (There are the B movies, I am sure you know what they are (lowbrow?) I suppose the really quality movies are A movies. Well, this one was definitely an A+ movie.

I was hesitant (heck, struck with anxiety) to turn on my DVD player. I read Wikipedia entry which said it was a movie about a depressed man who was still grieving the loss of his long-time partner. Since I have been battling severe depression as well as grief over losing my husband, I wondered if I should consider this movie.

This movie was not frightening to me after all. It was not depressing. (Maybe that's my Zoloft talking.) It seemed to be more of a British movie than an American one (i.e. not sappy.)

If you don't want to know the plot in advance, I suggest you not read the Wikipedia or IMDb entries. The important thing is, even read them I was more interested in watching it. (That and wanting to see Matthew Goode my favorite actor in all his roles.) The movie and the enjoyment of seeing it was not based on the plot. The movie is not "ruined" by knowing the story. It's not what it's about, it's how it's done.

A Single Man is not entertainment per se, it's art and a study in complex human nature. I'm happy to say, there were no stereotypes in this movie. It was a fresh take on these subjects even set 50 years ago in 1962.

The laid back performances were understated yet sincerely emotional. The cinematography was excellent. (Example: the way the colors were drab until George really looked at them with appreciation when they suddenly became bright and vibrant.) You're taken into the story with such skill you are no longer aware you're watching a movie. I think this movie was a joyous study of life and death. Also, I found a good deal of ironic humor in the movie.

Matthew as supporting actor was just as perfect as Colin Firth as were Julianne Moore and Nicholas Hoult. A mass of talent was obviously assembled.

Matthew used the generic American accent similar to the way he spoke in The Lookout though not as gruff, of course. It was impeccable from what I heard. (Is there such a thing as an American accent without dialect? It's as varied as UK accents. Though I do think Matthew sounds better with British and Irish accent, but maybe that's just me. I heard he's finished a movie about an Australian. I'm curious to hear how he does that.)

Good-bye for now. Sit down and WATCH it.

From Wikipedia: The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 66th Venice International Film Festival and won the festival's third annual Queer Lion.[19] Colin Firth was awarded the Coppa Volpi for Best Actor at the film festival for his performance in the film.[20] He received a BAFTA for best actor.[21] Firth received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama nomination, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role nomination, and an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination. For her performance, Julianne Moore was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in Motion Picture. Abel Korzeniowski was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. On January 14, 2010, the film was nominated for, and later won, Outstanding Film - Wide Release at the 21st GLAAD Media Awards.