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For the second year in a row, there has been an Oscar film about a leading middle-aged homosexual who struggles personally with life (other being Milk). I really like the fact that they cast heterosexual actors and actresses to portray homosexuals because straight people demonstrate that there is just nothing wrong with it hence why pretty much all heterosexual actors get Oscar nominations and wins for portraying their opposite sexuality. It is quite an inspiring thing, really, because we all deserve equal rights.
A Single Man is set all in one day and I think one gets the best experience in a film that way. Set in Los Angeles on November 30th 1962 of a middle-aged English professor who is really struggling in his life after his sudden death of his partner Jim after being together for 16 years. He just doesn't know how to deal with it and doesn't know what the meaning of life is anymore. Colin Firth turned down the role in the film at first but then reconsidered and look what he got out of it: an Oscar nomination, Golden Globe nomination and BAFTA win. Despite that I didn't think he would've deserved the Oscar having not seen the film and not being an Oscar-winning performance, I take all that back and he should have won it! He deserved it a lot more than Sean Penn did for Milk. Julianne Moore is sometimes good but sometimes she can be just awful! However, in A Single Man she was absolutely brilliant as Charley (nickname for Charlotte) despite she wasn't in it that long. I mean, she may be an extremely unattractive actress but she did suit the character pretty well. Nicholas Hoult and Matthew Goode did pretty well too.
A Single Man became the first film for Tom Ford as a director and I thought that it was filmed absolutely brilliantly! The filming was so short: 21 days!! I mean, I have never heard any film be completely shot in that short amount of time when the average time usually is about 3-4 months. I guess it depends on the film and what is involved like technically. I mean, if he can film the whole thing that quickly and still make it a successful Oscar film then that is great talent especially for first time! I'll be keeping an eye out for a future Tom Ford film and see whether that'll be as good as A Single Man. The extraordinary thing is that Tom Ford is a fashion designer as well as a film director now. Oh and he is openly gay and made a film about one. I really admire the guy already!
Overall, A Single Man is a beautifully tragic film that I think all would be caught almost weeping at. Despite that The Blind Side and An Education were both good films, I just feel that A Single Man and Invictus deserved those Best Picture nominations instead. One of the best films of 2009.
9/10
