Saturday, March 6, 2010

FILM REVIEW: A Single Man




Directed by Tom Ford
Starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore
Synopsis here

Have you ever had the pleasant experience of sitting in a darkened theatre and a high fashion ad plays? And you wished that it would play a little while longer? Yes and yes? Then Tom Ford's directorial debut A Single Man might be your cup of tea.

The film opens with an underwater shot of a naked body swaying and moving artistically in the depths of the ocean (though I do believe he was meant to be drowning). One would expect the name of Dior or Gucci to appear slowly on the screen announcing a new line of fragrances. It doesn't. Instead we find ourselves in more fashion ads, every scene seemed like it was advertising a dress or a suit, but after being immersed in this world, you forget all about that and you focus on the story.

Call me superificial, but I found myself longing to live in this 'world' that Ford creates. Even for a little while, for a vacation maybe. There was no hair out of place, no shoe mismatched with a dress. Fashion policing is dead here. And everything is breathtaking

Colin Firth was sensational here, he took this film to another level. I was never a big fan of him, mainly because I couldn't get Mr Darcy out of my head, but this performance was heart-stopping. He made subtle changes to his face, eye movements that told a story, creating a performance that made the audience feel, what his character was feeling.

It's a film possessing both inner and outer beauty. The stunning visuals never distracted from the story or the emotional intensity of the film, they worked side by side together. It's a dramatic punch wearing cashmere Chanel gloves.

Some people criticise A Single Man for being TOO beautiful. That is not a valid point, nothing is ever too beautiful in my opinion. Ford brought something new to the table, he was able to show that you can have a film that is over polished and super pretty but still have the strength to carry the emotional weight of the narrative. I can't wait what he does next.


Photo from here

1 comment:

  1. I love to watch this film. It was shrugged at the Oscars this year.

    ReplyDelete

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