Earlier this year we had A Serious Man, which despite its rather solemn sounding title was actually rather droll. Now with A Single Man, which under different circumstances might sound like a silly romantic comedy, we get one of the most finely acted dramas of the year. What’s more is that this is the directorial and screenwriting debut of Tom Ford, the fashion designer that turned Gucci into a billion dollar company. Well I don’t know much about fashion, but it’s certainly pleasant to see a man step far outside his artistic comfort zone and succeed with astounding skill. A Single Man, the adaptation of the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood, is an involving and well-acted bit of drama thanks to Ford’s eye and the tremendous skill of lead Colin Firth.

The film follows George (played by Firth), a college professor living in 1960s Southern California. The story takes place during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, as George continues to cope with the accidental death of his long-term partner Jim (Matthew Goode) several months earlier. George is practically a ghost in his own life, but in a rare moment of zeal he gives an exuberant lecture on the nature of fear to one of his classes, sparking the interest of student Kenny (Nicholas Hoult) in more ways than one. As George diligently makes plans to dine with his old friend Charley (Julianne Moore), he also looks to putting his affairs in order. But will this be one of those nights that changes George’s point of view, or will it push him further to give up on the life he doesn’t believe in anymore?

Staged with the precision and thoughtfulness of live theatre, A Single Man captures and arrests you with provocative performances, and its deliberate but seemingly natural pace. Firth as the gravitational centre is engrossing, one of the most genuine and visceral portrayals of a grief-stricken man that I’ve ever seen on screen. Firth plays up a bit of mystery as well since you’re never quite sure for the first half of the film how exactly it’s all going to play out. Like a beautifully drawn picture book, every turn of the page offers more detail, while allowing you the time to appreciate all that detail. It’s Firth performance that keeps things personal and almost intimate. A true leading performance, he’s in every scene and almost always shoulders the emotional weight in every exchange.

But it would nonsense to say that Firth is alone on screen in his dedication to the film. Probably second for screen time (and marquee name value) is Moore, who’s Charley could have been the usual pathetic, two-dimensional drunk divorcee archetype, but with Moore’s talent one can appreciate something deeper underneath. Newcomer Hoult, who’s perhaps best known for his work on the British drama Skins, also shows a lot of depth as Kenny’s youth and optimism plays well against George’s resignation and pessimism. And though he plays but an apparition, Goode is quite excellent as George’s lost lover Jim. The loss George feels, as conveyed by Firth, is palpable, and the two actors easily make you feel as if they’ve been together the better part of 15 years. That’s not a high-five for two straight actors playing gay men, just that they have the chemistry between the two of them to really make it believable.

This emphasis on acting makes the film, but that’s not to discount the technical merits. The aesthetic of the production design and the soft lighting of the cinematography create a feeling of a film not just set in the 60s, but one that almost feels like it was shot in the 60s. Ford is to be commend for his attention to detail and for immediately setting himself out as an “actor’s director.” I honestly can’t remember a director’s debut that’s been this impressive, or at least a first-time director that seems this together. This was not an easy film to make, I think. From the emotion of the characters to recreating the early 60s setting to the unconventional direction of story, Ford should be commend for tacking this material, and more than that, tackling it beyond expectations. Firth and Ford make A Single Man a must see. A great and greatly acted film.