George (Colin Firth) is an English professor that must mourn the loss of his partner of 16 years in silence. He tries to carry on with his life in the 1960’s, but is unable to let go of his lost love.
First of all, Cloin Firth is an amazing actor. I have always liked him, and I think this is his best performance work to date. With a small, but wonderful, supporting cast this film shows how good acting can be. Julianne Moore is vibrant and talented as always, and I think Nicholas Hoult is a star in the making. The characters felt truly real, and it was easy to make a connection with them. The way Firth portrays so much with just his body language and facial depth, it would be a crime if he didn’t at least get an Oscar nomination for this role. Moore is brilliant as Charley, a woman that sees her own mortality fading every time she looks in the mirror and sees her own good looks fading with age.
Tom Ford, fashion designer turned film director, has a keen eye for lavish detail. It is easy to see both his fashion design and photography background come to life in the film. For such a simple and common story, that of love lost, the visuals are stunning at times. Small things, the close up of water drops on a rose, may seem pretentious to some, but it gives such a feel of realism to the film, and it gives more depth to the characters in it. The film portrays both the wonder and beauty of the world, along with the cold depression that can often overwhelm us.
I almost didn’t see this one at the theater. From the trailer I wasn’t sure what the film was really about, and it seemed so much darker than the actual film proved to be. You get a solid story, with real emotion, true it is a sad tale, but there is a touch of comedy to buoy the film in a sea of sorrow. A surprise for me and a bright star for Colin Firth, 4 1/2 Axes.