A Single Man
Directed by Tom Ford
- drama
- romance
The story
Set in Los Angeles in 1962, at the height of the Cuban missile crisis, is the story of a British college professor who dwells on the past and cannot see his future. We follow him through a single day, where a series of events and encounters ultimately lead him to decide if there is a meaning to life after the death of his long time partner, Jim.
What it’s like
Saturated, meticulously composed frames: sun-bleached Los Angeles in 1962 rendered in warm amber and pale turquoise, pastel suits against midcentury interiors, and a glossy, exact digital finish that makes every surface look like it was chosen by hand. Long held shots and symmetrical compositions linger on small gestures, a cigarette lit at a kitchen table, a glass of scotch sweating on a sill, while Abel Korzeniowski's score swells in restrained strings and the occasional sharp chord when grief breaks through. The mood is elegant and aching, a stylish melancholy that tilts toward dread in its quieter moments and toward tenderness in its warmest ones. The pace is deliberately unhurried, a single day stretched into something like a held breath. Its emotional arc follows a grieving man slowly seeing the world sharply again, with brief flashes of memory softening the present. Intensity is moderate: suicidal thoughts are central and handled with care, with one sudden, shocking scene and no gore, and a few frank moments of intimacy between men. Best for viewers who want a grave, beautifully made meditation on loss, late at night or on a slow, reflective afternoon.
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