Mathoms, etc.

It's been so hot here in the Northeast that I stayed in yesterday and watched DVDs after work. I finally saw A Single Man, designer Tom Ford's directorial debut. Based on the novel by Christopher Isherwood, it stars two of my favorite actors, Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. Mr. Firth is George Falconer, a college professor grieving for his partner Jim (the handsome and charismatic Matthew Goode). It has been 8 months since the fatal accident, and George realizes he is unable to cope with his loss anymore. The movie follows him as he goes about his normal day, all the while planning that it will be his last. He is meticulous in his preparation for work, as well as for his demise.

Mr. Firth was rightfully nominated for his restrained and powerful performance. I totally got it when he said that looking back in the mirror staring back at him isn't so much a face as an expression of a predicament. The ever wonderful Julianne Moore is Charley, a fellow British expat with unrequited feelings for her gay friend. Christopher Hoult plays Kenny, a student with an affinity for his English professor. George's meaningful experiences with these two people will define how his day will end.

The film is an artistic gem. The story is set in 1962; kudos to the brilliant costume and set designers for their elegance and simplicity. The cinematography is beautiful, going from sepia and gray hues to warm oranges depending on our protagonist's encounters and sentiments. Many shots are art directed to death---the slow motion views of eyes, lips, even cigarette smoke---but I do understand the purpose behind them: Falconer taking in every detail, paying close attention to what's happening now, as if savoring it. He said that everyday goes by in a haze, and decided that today will be different.

I have not read the book and don't know how it ends. I didn't like how the screenwriters decided to end the film, but it doesn't take away from the beauty of the film. The message I got is that little ordinary moments in life add up to an extraordinary life. I love this voiceover: "A few times in my life I've had moments of absolute clarity, when for a few brief seconds the silence drowns out the noise and I can feel rather than think, and things seem so sharp and the world seems so fresh. I can never make these moments last. I cling to them, but like everything, they fade. I have lived my life on these moments. They pull me back to the present, and I realize that everything is exactly the way it was meant to be. "

(photo from Movie PosterDB)