A Single Man, directed by Tom Ford, brings the 1964 novel by gay writer Christopher Isherwood to the screen. In 1962, the lover of UCLA Professor George Falconer (played by Colin Firth) dies in a car crash near Denver. He is informed by a younger member of his lover’s family of the death as well as the fact that he is not invited to the memorial service. Falconer decides to kill himself as a result, but first he has to teach a class, buy bullets and wine, and dine with Charlie (played by Julianne Moore) for old time’s sake. After his class, he is approached by a very bright, handsome student, Kenny (played by Nicholas Hoult), who has more than academic interest in him, but he brushes him off. He encounters an attractive Spanish would-be actor at the liquor store, also brushing him off. During the conversation with Charlie, she intimates that his 16-year relationship was not real love, whereupon Falconer flies into a rage. After the dinner, he heads for a bar near his Malibu residence, and Kenny happens along. The two take a nude dip in the ocean, then return to his residence together. After a couple of beers, both fall asleep in different parts of the house. The ending of the seeming autobiographical film is a puzzle. MH
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