Format: Streaming video from NetFlix on The Nook.
As a heterosexual man, my relationship to queer cinema is hardly unique. In some respects, my relationship with it is similar to the one I have with the cinema of any demographic group of which I am not a member. Queer cinema isn’t telling my story, but it’s telling a story that I can try to understand and relate to. A Single Man is certainly not the definitive film of the classification/genre, but it’s a fine example. It works not because it’s specifically a story about a homosexual man but because it’s a story of a man who happens to be homosexual. That distinction is important and makes all the difference. The film speaks to the gay experience, but speaks equally to the human experience.
George Falconer (Colin Firth) is an ex-patriate Brit teaching at a college in Los Angeles. When the film begins, it has been eight months since the death of Jim (played in flashback by Matthew Goode), his partner of 16 years. Since Jim’s accidental death in a car accident, George has more or less lived on autopilot. All of A Single Man takes place around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a time when homosexuality was one of the more serious social sins. This reality means that George and Jim have kept their relationship a secret from all but the closest and most trusted friends. It’s also what prevents George from being able to attend Jim’s funeral, since Jim’s family does not want him there.
