Travelling in Nottingham

A Single Man

We don't mean to go off on one, but Itchy often worries about the lack of quality in film-making these days. There are plenty of excellent actors in the business. Many wonderful stories to be told. Countless directors to mould it all into an hour or two well spent. Yet so often you emerge from the cinema, dazzled by the daylight and pulling bits of other people's popcorn off your jeans, and realise that helping your Mum do the weekly shop would have been a more inspiring use of your afternoon. Well, ladies and gentlemen, with A Single Man we have turned a corner.

Tom Ford (of beautiful Gucci suit fame) co-wrote, co-produced, and directed this fine specimen of cinema, which makes us feel hugely inadequate. Is there anything this man can't do? He's even gorgeous, damn him. Of course we don't know for sure, but we'd like to think that it is Ford's attention to detail, eye for the aesthetically pleasing, and generous resources that allowed A Single Man to become this perfect.

It's really hard to not blather on about how beautiful it all was, but we'll give it a go. A Single Man follows George Falconer (Colin Firth), who lives in constant pain since the loss of the love of his life, Jim (Matthew Goode). One day, he decides to do something about it once and for all and move on, but discovers that life is not quite as bleak as he had thought it. His day is buoyed by some extra attention from one of his students (Nicholas Hoult), who appears to be interested in more than just George's lectures. After a run-in with an insanely beautiful and unusually deep Spanish man and a night on the piss with his best friend, faghag and life-long admirer Charley (Julianne Moore), George decides to live a little.

It is no wonder that Firth is in line for several hundred Best Actor awards – his portrayal of Henderson's limbo between all-consuming grief and cheery everyday demeanour is mesmerising. Moore is delightful as the tactless best friend who has her own grief to get past, and their relationship is entirely believable and touching. For us, Hoult was the biggest surprise, because we really didn't have our hopes up, but he was superb. Curious, excitable, sensitive and dangerous all at once. Also, without wanting to sound like a pervy granny, hasn't he grown into a fine young man since About a Boy?

It may only be January and therefore a bit premature to say so, but this will clearly be one of the favourite highbrow films of the year. It makes us want to wax lyrical about the cinematography and score and costumes and all that other annoying media stuff. But it also was honest and funny and moving and all that other annoying emotional stuff, which is what makes a high quality film in anyone's book.

www.iconmovies.co.uk/asingleman

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