"A Single Man" follows a literature professor (Colin Firth) through one day in his life, specifically, the day he decides to kill himself. Heartbroken and depressed, he comes to this decision a few months after his partner dies in a car crash and the partner’s family asks him not to come to the funeral. On this his last day, planning to shoot himself that night, he fully appreciates the beauty in the people he talks to, the things he sees, and the memories he relives. It is a study on the G. K. Chesterton quote, that “[t]he way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost.”
One might expect the filming to resemble that of a simple drama like "Doubt," but the director, Tom Ford, plays with colors, lighting, and flashbacks. Tom Ford often takes close-ups of people or objects that make an impression on George during his day; he also lightens and brightens images like a Technicolor 50's movie. While somewhat distracting, these techniques are also playful and pleasing.
Firth offers a sophisticated, reserved performance as George, quite the opposite of Julianne Moore’s scatterbrained, middle-aged, falling-apart lonelyheart. Firth and Moore make their desperate characters believable and likeable -- both to the audience and to each other. It's fun to see them loosen up and dance after having a few friendly drinks. George can enjoy the fun, too: because he plans on ending his life in a few hours, he can resurface from his depression for a day to focus on and love everything in life.
Though "A Single Man" connects depression, heartbreak, loss, and suicide, it is ultimately a life-affirming film that touches the viewer without pushing him over with sentimentality.
