A Single Man

12a / Tom Ford / 2009 / A Single Man / USA
Set in Los Angeles in 1962, at the height of the Cuban missile crisis, this is the story of a British college professor (Colin Firth) who is struggling to find meaning to his life after the death of his long time partner and finds himself unable to go on. He plans to end his life and we follow him through what should be his last day, during which he rediscovers some of the things that could make life worth living again. The story is a romantic tale of love interrupted, the isolation that is an inherent part of the human condition, and ultimately the importance of the seemingly smaller moments in life. Firth won a BAFTA for best leading actor.