Two movies

This week I watched two very interesting movies. The first, which I saw at the neighborhood theater with two of my favorite neighbors, is a smoky little love story called A Single Man. The second, which I was mesmerized by on Wednesday evening, is Away from Her.

I’ve confessed before and I’ll confess again: a film critic I am not. Ignoring that very basic fact, here’s what I have to say.

The movies I saw this week had a lot in common. They were both based on written works, one by Christopher Isherwood, the other on a short story by Alice Munro. They were both filmed beautifully, I think. A Single Man is set in early 1960s Los Angeles, porn of sorts for the mid-century devotees. Away from Her takes place, and was shot, I presume (I couldn’t read the credits due to contrast problems) in the early 2000s in Canada. It was bright, cold and stark, not only visually but thematically as well. They’re both relationship stories: the central relationship in one film happens to be two men, one dead, one alive and – do the math – single; the other, a married hetero couple, half of which is in the early stages of decline.

And then, in both movies, other people show up. That’s where the two movies part ways, one meandering gently along, the other anything – and everything – but.

I think both movies were well worth the time and thought they required. My initial response to A Single Man was that it wasn’t very good, but it was one of those movies that came to me throughout the following day in unexpected ways, and so I altered my opinion accordingly. Plus, Julianne Moore was in it, so if 100 points are perfect, there’s 50 of them right there. I don’t read reviews of movies until after I’ve seen them, so I’m not going to spoil it for anyone who may see A Single Man, but here’s a hint: If you see it, try to guess what profession the director was in before he made this movie. I haven’t read any reviews of Away from Her. I’d like to read the short story first, because I’ve never quite understood Alice Munro, so maybe experiencing her work in reverse – from the screen to the page – will lead to a breakthrough. One thing about the movie, though, is this: I ordered it through Netflix. The strange thing about Netflix for me is that I add movies to my list and then, by the time they arrive in the mail, I’ve generally forgotten why I picked it. And, almost without exception, that is fine with me.