It’s 1962 and lonely academic George Falconer (Colin Firth) is, in the wake of his partner Jim’s death, struggling to find a reason to go on. His grief is complicated by the invisibility of his loss. He was not, we soon learn, even permitted to attend his long-time companion’s funeral. Flashbacks from this idyllic relationship are framed by a stifling entropic present. Like its literary source, A Single Man forms a day-in-the-life of its devastated protagonist; there are interludes with well intentioned if haranguing heterosexual old pal (Julianne Moore) and a pretty young student admirer (About a Boy’s Nicolas Hoult) but this is a largely a one-man show. Fortunately that man is Colin Firth, whose exquisite portrait of bereavement may be the best performance of his career.
In a fairer world, where talents were evenly distributed about the species, fashion designer Tom Ford’s self-financed attempt to bring Christopher Isherwood’s 1964 novella to the big screen would have been a disaster. Instead it’s stylishly zen in composition and ravishing to behold. The only caveat is that it’s little too perfect; its fetishised use of Mad Men interiors and beautiful people can leave you wondering if you’re watching a gorgeous advertisement for Mr. Ford’s spring collection.