WATCH NOW
Regular readers will be aware that there’s no way in which I would leave a review of this film with just one word!
I have to say, I was feeling a bit pretentious during the first few minutes of the movie, thinking that it might be a bit too artistic for a simple Saturday night with a friend. But my worries dissipated quickly as the film became clearer and clearer, and one cannot help but develop real deep lasting empathy with the characters and the story.
I absolutely loved the ‘washed out’ camera effect used to depict life in the 60s as it literally sets the scene so beautifully. All of the 60s effects in this film are completely intentional, and the team who worked to create these environments have clearly put a lot of effort to respect the architecture and fashion trends of that time.
Both of us loved the sweeping soundtrack used for the more ‘mundane’ life scenes because we thought it really connected the film and helped it stand out. As you might have guessed from the trailer, the soundtrack is the single most important aspect of this film, as there is quite a substantial amount of audio versus dialogue.
Truly, the casting of this movie is superb. It was nice to see Colin Firth not behind Hugh Grant’s shadow or comically playing an English gentleman. That line “I’m English… we like to be cold and wet” is a classic, and there was not a single person in the cinema that wasn’t laughing. Other reviewers have already shared plenty on Colin Firth’s incredible acting skills (I have no doubt he will get an Oscar!), and I know my friend Andrew would probably murder me if I didn’t say Julianna Moore was brilliant. I, on the other hand, was more ‘tuned in’ to the gorgeous Nicholas Hoult.
Many times Tom Ford has come out to say that this is not a ‘gay’ film, even though the majority of the characters tend to be homosexual. Instead of putting people off, I think this is a highly admirable stance: it helps to ‘normalize’ the issue, and not a single person in the packed cinema (including the blokey blokes who were obviously taken along by their girlfriends) seemed to have a problem with what was on the screen.
In regards to the ‘gay’ part of the film, let me mention that the truly mesmerizing tension between Colin Firth (a bit of a ‘DILF’ if ever there was one) and the exceptionally beautiful Nicholas Hoult meant that it was not only my eyes that were feeling the tension. *cough* Admittedly, I am a total slave to Hoult’s eyes and hair (though I do like him more pale as he was in Skins than his Americanized guise).
However, despite what thoughts you may be having right now, the reason I enjoy the film is because of the emotive journey that is takes the viewer on. Throughout the film, I spent half the time with my hand over my mouth feeling like I was genuinely worried and by the end, with the cinema audience as a whole stunned/shocked, I was wiping away a few tears while the lights had come up. It really affected me. The reason I relate to the film so much is because I believe many of us wonder from time to time about our own mortality and place on earth. And in the case of this film, I was readily able to identify with attributes shown in all of the characters.
If you plan to watch a single film during the award season, make sure it is \single A single Man\ single since it is possibly the best film I have seen in years.
To watch more movies like (A Single Man (2009)) visit 123Movies.
Also Watch for more movies like:
