Blu-Ray Review: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore Shine in ‘A Single Man’

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CHICAGO – I wonder if more people had seen Colin Firth’s incredible performance in “A Single Man” if he wouldn’t have been considered more of a frontrunner at last year’s Academy Awards. Easily one of the best male performances of last year (along with Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker” and Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart), Firth’s work here is revelatory, displaying depth heretofore only hinted at by this already underrated actor.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

On the making-of featurette on the new Blu-ray release, writer/director Tom Ford calls “A Single Man” a romance about isolation and the need for human connection. I also think that it’s as much about fear and how much it controls our lives and keeps us from those essential connections.

A Single Man was released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 6th, 2010
Photo credit: Music Box Films

Set against the height of panic caused by the Cold War, Firth stars as a British college professor seriously struggling with the severe depression brought on by the death of his longtime boyfriend. Still closeted, he can only turn to a friend (Julianne Moore) who may be the only light in his life but even she seems to be fading, largely under the doomed love she still feels for him. He has a flirtation with a young student (Nicholas Hoult) that serves as a focus for the final act of the film but this is a movie about a man who is tragically alone, unable to express his grief or his sexuality.

A Single Man was released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 6th, 2010 Photo credit: Music Box Films

Colin Firth perfectly captures the mannerisms and emotional depth of a man so paralyzed by heartbreaking pain and fear that it makes it impossible to move forward. Ford’s debut is an effective piece of poetry about how the things beyond our control can lead to stasis, loneliness, and even death. Firth and Moore gave two of the best performances of last year and Ford’s confident visual style and willingness to tackle challenging themes make “A Single Man” definitely worth a rental.

The strong performances overshadow Ford’s technical team on first viewing but the Blu-ray release reminds this viewer what a strong film “A Single Man” is on a visual level. The HD picture quality is stunning — typical for Sony — and the special features are appropriately intellectual with a very well-made b-t-s featurette “The Making of A Single Man” and a commentary track by Ford.

Colin Firth’s Oscar nomination seemed the least-heralded of this year’s awards season primarily because the film was so small-scale compared to the drama of “Avatar,” “Inglourious Basterds,” and “The Hurt Locker.” Time will be very kind to “A Single Man.” Performances this good don’t lose their power.