Sometimes awful things have their own kind of beauty.
As I was going into Philly today to have lunch with a friend, I decided to stick around afterward and catch A Single Man at the Ritz at the Bourse. The directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford, who also co-wrote the screenplay with David Scearce, the film is based on the novel by Christopher Isherwood and stars Colin Firth as a British professor teaching at a small southern California college who has been inconsolable ever since he lost his long-time partner (Matthew Goode) in a freak car accident. Since the film is set in 1962, when homosexuality was still very much frowned upon (as if it isn't today), Firth can't express his grief openly and is even barred from attending Goode's funeral service, an act that denies him emotional closure. In fact, the only person he can really confide in is a fellow expatriate Londoner (Julianne Moore) who's twice-divorced and still somehow holds out hope that they could be a couple.
The film takes place over a single day as a solitary Firth winds up his personal business and prepares to kill himself -- but only if he can have everything perfectly arranged first. It also takes in his scattered memories of Goode, which are generally more brightly lit than his drab existence, which is presented in desaturated color save for the few times when he's engaged in making a personal connection with someone. Having already made the decision to kill himself, though, he doesn't know what to make of the student (Nicholas Hoult) who tries to get closer to him or the Spanish stud (Jon Kortajarena) who attempts to pick him up outside a liquor store. Under normal circumstances he might have pursued one or both of them, but he's simply too intent on ending it all to even consider it.
I realize I'm making this film seem like a total downer, but more than anything it's a sensual experience that's completely in tune with its lead character's thoughts and emotions. From the serenely comforting underwater shots that open the film to the bracing late-night swim that comes near the end, we are fully immersed in Firth's world, sharing not only his pain but also his fleeting moments of inner peace. It's just a shame he isn't able to hold onto them. They might have actually helped him get over his loss sooner.