And the winner of 2009's "Eleanor Rigby" award goes to... A Single Man. This has got to be one of the most simultaneously depressing and beautiful films i've seen in quite some time. It is a collective mix of several woes: Growing older, living a lie, being alone, contemplation of suicide, and even heath scares.
The performances are excellent. Ever since Bridget Jones's Diary Colin Firth has always had this amazing ability to perform with such a dry british manner, yet I tend to find him very sympathetic when wounded. Firth balances both of these qualities masterfully in the character of George. Julianne Moore and Matthew Goode are so fantastic as the former lovers in George's life that I wish the film had included more scenes devoted to them. All of Goode's scenes are flashbacks that serve as a painful reminder to George of how happy he once was. Moore's boozy dinner party highlights one of the film's few lighter moments as she and George dance to "Green Onions."
The style is also especially worth noting. Notice how vibrant colors constantly fade in and out of scenes. The color scheme brightens slightly as George's mood begins to lift. It almost feels like life or hope is returning briefly to his empty existence. The ending might be a bit of a cheat. It felt invented to make sure it ends on a hopeful yet still heartbreaking note.
A Single Man is such a downer it is actually kind of hard to recommend. Honestly, does anyone enjoy being depressed? Still the performances, the style, and the story are so impressive that it might be worth getting crushed over. A-
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