I caught and very much liked Tom Ford‘s A Single Man this morning. It’s basically about passing through grief and despair and coming out alive on the other side. We’re speaking of a very lulling and haunting thing to settle into. I can’t rouse myself into full-on review mode, but the thoroughly readable feelings in the features of star Colin Firth — longing, grief, numbness, curiosity, contentment — keep the film aloft.

Along with the immaculate visual values, of course. A Single Man reminded me at times of Michelangelo Antonioni‘s Red Desert and La Notte. The conservative gayish vibe will mean box-office issues with hinterland heteros, I suppose (i.e., support hose), but it’s so exquisitely composed and refined and well-written, etc. A huge hit with urban gay audiences, but film lovers of all persuasions owe it to themselves.