If Sontag considers a desirable film review to be a concentration on form with accurate descriptions of the visual elements, then Simon Weaving is on the right track. Weaving's review of Tom Ford's A Single Man (2009) is effective in the sense that it focuses on the visual tone the movie creates. However, being that it is so hard to break away from critiquing the content of the film based on how it relates to the narrative, Weaving criticizes the movie for being too polished for an emotional journey describing the film as “scene after scene of impeccably beautiful but detached imagery.” One of the problems I have with this review is that it seems to con the very cinematography that it sings praise to because of its separation from the narrative. It appears Weaving can not get over how the elaborate and controlled shots in each scene do not match the raw emotion that the characters are trying to convey in the narrative. Perhaps if he could get over this, he would realize the techniques Ford uses, especially those using slow-motion and saturation manipulation, are merely alternative ways of producing the same effect. What I do like about this review is the fact that Weaving discusses the relationship between content and form and how they feed so much off of each other. Even though his opinion of the content had more of an effect on his opinion of the film, he mentioned both form and how it effects content. It does not entirely achieve what Sontag sees as successful criticism, but it is a definite start. That being said, it should not be changed, because Sontag has somewhat of a one-sided approach of criticizing a film almost entirely on form first; which is just as bad as basing your opinion entirely on content if you ask me.
Of all the elements of mise-en-scene that contribute to the dramatic narrative of A Single Man, composition would have to play the most important. Slow-motion is used in multiple scenes, and this becomes a cinematic theme that ties in very well with the narrative considering some of its dialogue. For instance, a slow-motion scene where Colin Firth is driving by his neighbors and sees the daughter playing in the yard captures every detail of what Firth would have been seeing, almost as if it is a vivid dream or memory. Considering Julianne Moore's scene where she talks about living in the past and enjoying every moment of life, this use of slow-motion starts to present how a character is beginning to take in every moment. Slowing down the scene and making every movement seem more deliberate gives everything more meaning, and the effect is breathtaking.
