Word: Raymond Phathanavirangoon

Ah, Tom Ford. You are one of the world’s leading fashion designers. Your smoldering, chiseled, five-o’-clock-shadow good looks are plastered all over magazines and billboards. Men want to be you, or at least they want to be your boyfriend. But no, all that is not enough for you. So you decided to dabble in film directing with an adaptation of Christopher Isherwood’s novel. You want to be the Renaissance man. A single man… or a singular man?

So how is Mr. Ford’s sojourn into the silver screen craft? Surprisingly quite credible. First, the superlatives: A Single Man has some of the most stunningly delectable art direction I have ever seen. Every little detail, from the quality of the personalized stationery to the impeccably chosen pieces of furniture, had me swooning. Then there are the immaculately tailored suits – right down to the shine off the shoes. Obviously the man has taste, and for the duration of the film I could not help but salivate at the eye candy depicted before me.

Which leads us to the next topic: men. From hunky foreigners that loiter at parking lots to cherubic college boys eager to seduce, the film unfolds like a men’s fashion spread come alive. It is obvious who (or what age bracket) the objects of desire are. But Ford isn’t satisfied with just showing them off. He manipulates the cinematography according to the protagonist’s emotions. When aroused, colors bloom and saturate, especially the cheeks and lips of the wide-eyed models. Alternatively, hues darken when feelings become cold. It’s a trick that may divide the audience, but at least risks are taken here.

Plot-wise, there really isn’t much to talk about since in the end it is quite pedestrian: George Falconer, a reserved, well-coifed English professor living in post-Cuban Missile Crisis Southern California, struggles to come to terms with the sudden death of his partner. Depicted over a single day, George is seen waking up and going to work, before getting accosted by random young things then meeting up with his fag-hag Charley, who (surprise-surprise) has a secret crush on the man. All of this is nothing we haven’t seen before, and the ending is a tad rote to truly affect emotions in the audience.

Still, Ford clearly has a good grasp of cinema, and the resulting work is competently helmed and executed. Kudos must especially be given to Ford on his exemplary handling of the actors. For a neophyte filmmaker, coaxing good performances out of established stars is not an easy task at all. But here the film delivers with Colin Firth, whose powerful performance will most assuredly land him an Oscar® nomination for Best Actor. Likewise, Julianne Moore as the boozy malcontent socialite Charley deserves props. The rest of the cast alas are not as strong, especially the gaggle of models who at times struggle at the art of thespianism. Luckily most of the film’s runtime rests squarely on the capable shoulders of Mr. Firth.

Though the story may not be novel, A Single Man still manages to be one of the stronger gay films to come out in a while. Perhaps this speaks more about the current state of LGBT filmmaking than the film itself, but nonetheless Tom Ford has acquitted himself very well. All he needs to do is choose a more challenging plot the next time around.

A Single Man (Charity Screening) on 27th of FEB (Sat). This is a fundraising event for Chi Heng Foundation, and is helping children who affected by AIDS to study in China. After Party at KEE