Single Man, A - Beauty  
| I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that a fashion designer can make a beautiful film... to look at. What knocked me off my chair was how beautiful the film was to truly... behold.
Tom Ford films A Single Man with a luxurious eye. The film is stunning in its visuals, the art direction, the costumes. But it's not just that. Watch the way Ford uses the camera, the way he caresses his subjects. A Single Man is a very lovingly filmed film. It feels as lush to watch as warm bath, a down duvet, a warm coco. There is a quiet sensibility that cradles the audience through the experience of watching the film and it feels indulgently wonderful. And on the strength of that alone, the film is a triumph.
But as I said, the film surprised me in other ways. Like how Ford dissects little moments to expose a rawness about his protagonist, both violating and liberating him. Ford uses his "style" to tell the story of this man in a way that is breathtaking. It is almost contradictory in how beautiful and painful it is. But maybe that's not such a contradiction at all. It is remarkable how honest and lovely this story really is. It is complicated and yet completely relatable. It is a thing of beauty.
He is assisted in this task by the masterful performance of Colin Firth, truly at the top of his game. He gives one of those complete performances where the character truly exists while on the screen. The humanity of the man is exposed and we are drawn into his life. There are a hundred little moments in the film where Firth shocks us with his brutally subtle performance. It is awesome to watch him work. This is the kind of performance they make Oscars for.
Together, along with the delightful Julianne Moore being vulnerable and damaged, Ford and Firth have made a strikingly beautiful film that I can't get out of my mind. A single sensation and not to be missed.
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