Michael Phillips of the '' Chicago Tribune '' wrote " Some films are n’t revelations , exactly , but they burrow so deeply into old truths about love and loss and the mess and thrill of life , they seem new anyway " Bob Mondello of NPR commented “ An exquisite , almost sensual grief suffuses every frame of A Single Man . ” Marc Savlov of '' The Austin Chronicle '' wrote “ Everything fits perfectly , from titles to fin , but most of all Colin Firth , who dons the role of George like a fine bespoke suit . ” Critics who liked the film include '' The A.V. Club '' film critic Nathan Rabin , who gave the film an A - score , arguing that " '' A Single Man '' is a film of tremendous style wedded to real substance , and rooted in " Firth 's affecting lead performance as a man trying to keep it together for one last day after his world has fallen apart . " Critic Roger Ebert of the '' Chicago Sun-Times '' also praised Firth , saying that he " plays George superbly , as a man who prepares a face to meet the faces that he meets . He betrays very little emotion , and certainly his thoughts can not be read in his eyes . " '' The Times '' newspaper of London called the film " a thing of heart-stopping beauty . . . There will be critics who will be unable to get past the director 's background , but rest assured : Tom Ford is the real deal . " '' Variety '' 's verdict : " Luminous and treasurable , despite its imperfections . An impressive helming debut for fashion designer Tom Ford . " The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 66th Venice International Film Festival and won the festival 's third annual Queer Lion . Colin Firth was awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the film festival for his performance in the film . He received a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role . Firth also received Golden Globe , Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award nominations for Best Actor . For her performance , Julianne Moore was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in Motion Picture . Abel Korzeniowski was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score . The film received the Grand Prix from the Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics
66th Venice International Film Festival
66th Venice International Film Festival
A Single Man