a single man

yesterday, i went up to the city, where i went to cinema nova on lygon street to see tom ford's debut film, 'a single man.' it was brilliant, each frame is such a visual feast, so rich in layers, the costuming, sets, locations all add to the amazing impact of what is in essence, a tragic story. the way in which tom used the camera to evoke emotion and time was brilliantly effective, when things seemed grim the colours were muted and when things perk up the colours immediately brightened, vivid. to emphasise flash-backs, they were either shot in black + white or in a muted grainy effect. i loved the way in many situations the mouth and eyes were focused on, in sometimes a very erotic manner, both these features, with very little movement can convey, a world of emotion.
both colin firth and julianne moore were made for their respective roles, colin was cool, calm, sexy, funny, and intense, the scene in which he gets the tragic news of his partners death is chilling, with little to no movement, you can see the emotion just bubbling away inside him. he was also very effortless, nonchalant in places, when teaching, and his first encounter with jim. julianne was a riot, her voice reminded me of elizabeth hurley and character and mannerisms reminded me of 'ab-fab's' edwina moon. yet she was such a sad soul, longing for something that she knew in heart, she could never have. masking this pain with drink and clinging to the past.
nicolas hoult's character kenny was george's dark angel, his naivety and zest for the present, unconciously helped george realise that lifes simple things make living worth while, their brief time together was both uncomfortable and tender, nuturing, of each other. a great mirror to george's darkness
all in all, 'a single man' is a testament, first of all to christopher isherwood, the author of the novel, for writing a wonderful platform, from which tom ford could spring-board his characters in a world that is as plush and opulent and dark as tom's past collections for gucci and ysl. he stretched himself creatively and emotionally to bring this story to the big screen and to the masses. and finally to its actors, for bringing the these expectional character to life. can't wait for its dvd release, it will be a welcome addition to my vast collection.

p.s. for fashion lovers, how exciting to see jon kortajarena, take the role of carlos, who's brief and erotic encounter with george was a pivotal stepping stone to help george move on, out of his fog. plus aline weber, former balenciaga opener, the erotic, cigarette smoking lois, who was romantically linked to kenny, but distant, cold, very sensual.