Social Justice In A Single Man

Perhaps one of the most pivotal mediums for social justice is film. It envelops us in sight and sound. By playing into our emotional nature, film portrays characters which we connect with in real time. In the film, A Single Man, we are introduced to a character with whom we are immediately enamored. George Falconer (Colin Firth), is a closeted man living in the 1960’s. He has just lost the love of his life in a horrible accident, leaving him no way to express his pain… without exposing himself as the other. Under the direction of Tom Ford, this movie presents the compelling story of a man in utter anguish. It is not an overt, or blatant portrayal of sadness, but rather an underlying melancholy, reminiscent of very slowly drowning. There is …show more content…
This may sound like a generalization, and in many ways it is. Nevertheless, when talking about the LGBTQ community it is often apparent that mainstream film lacks any substance whatsoever, insistently continuing down the safe path of normativity and glamorized violence. A film like, A Single Man, deserves any accolade it can get from not only being somewhat mainstream, but for participating in the normalization of the Queer community, despite itself. One of the central questions which is dealt with in Queer media, is how we can portray the average everyday gay individual; while at the same time creating a product designed for consumption. Jennifer Guthrie, Adrianne Kunkel, and K. Hladky describe the identity disconnect which can occur in some gay media. In their paper, The Complex Relationship Between (and Within) the Oppressed and the Empowered, they examine what it means to be a lesbian in the mainstream. At times, the edited and beautified media does not, “represent the real diversity of the dyke communit[y]”, and can marginalize the groups which do not fit within the normalized portrayal of Hollywood actors. In other words, when queer sexuality is introduced to the mainstream, it is often co-opted by heteronormative sexuality and specific hegemonic preferences. While the intersectionality of these two concepts is a step in the right direction, the unfortunate lack of empowerment of all separate groups can leave something to be desired (Guthrie, 2013). A Single Man, does an exceptional job of being mainstream, while still representing the LGBTQ community in a touching and respectful way. This does not mean that this movie is without flaws. It’s primarily white cast and unrealistically attractive actors are both trademarks of the common media portrayal of “average American life”. Although this life does not necessarily reflect the everyday, as