Brokeback Mountain (A+ or 4/4 stars)
Wyoming, 1963 … get the picture? 2 strangers, Ennis & Jack (Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal), meet their boss & find out that they'll be sheepherding all Summer long up on 'Brokeback Mountain' (directed by the great Ang Lee, Sense & Sensibility, The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon). Ennis is your typical cowboy; stoic, introverted ... muttering words in conversation only when necessary. Jack is an amateur rodeo rider. He is not an introvert; talking a lot so as to make the long days' grind go faster. The cinematography here, including panoramic shots of the Western wilderness is breathtaking. During the day, & at night, they let loose a bit by sharing stories from their pasts, drink whiskey, & eat beans over a crackling fire.
Weeks go by, a friendship blossoms, but so does an indescribable, slow burn lust towards one another. Something that had been simmering comes to a boil & explodes in an impulsive scene of love-making that takes both characters by complete surprise. They explain that they "ain't queer" to each other; but continue to fall in love as their time on Brokeback continues & concludes. Summer ends, they say their awkward goodbyes, & off they go to their everyday lives (Ennis marries & has children, ditto for Jack). Unfortunately, it is only Brokeback that allows their liberated love to flourish. Years go by before they meet again (on a 'fishing trip'; that's what they tell their wives they're going to Brokeback for). But Ennis' wife Alma (Michelle Williams), gets the unfortunate honor of seeing her husband & Jack greet each other with a passionate kiss before they go off to 'fish' for the 1st time in 4 yrs. Alma suppresses her disappointment for only so long. Jack gets tired of hauling himself from his home in Texas to 'ole Brokeback in Wyoming every year.
Telling the rest of the plot won't help anyone fully understand exactly what these 2 men go through to keep their love alive. I am very impressed by how Ang Lee deals with the sickeningly controversial topic of homosexuality within this unique story and the torment that ensnarls these men, their jobs, & the lives of their families. Michelle Williams & Anne Hathaway lend subtle, yet great performances (as the wives); just watch Williams' face in the moments after she 1st sees her husband embrace Jack – the kaleidoscope of emotions that rush across her face for the next few minutes onscreen is devastating.
But most accolades must go to Ledger & Gyllenhaal for their torturously realistic portrayals of two men who love each other and who try to stand all tests from society. Ledger gives the more complex, nuance-laden performance of a 'man's man' who has to face non-conventional stereotypes, as well as his own personal demons. Gyllenhaal portrays the more sexually explorative role; trying to convince Ennis that a world without the two of them together is a dead world. Both performances are brilliant. And there's a scene near the end (with Ledger) in an upstairs bedroom that nearly ripped my heart out.
'Brokeback Mountain' is just an incredibly immersive film; beginning with Ennis & Jack at age 19 and concluding some 20 yrs. later. And I felt those 20 yrs. almost as much as they did; as if we, the audience, were right along for the ride of these tormented men as each month apart, each year, each lonely decade goes by. This is a love story for the ages. It is not your conventional love story. But nevertheless, it yanks on your heartstrings & forces you to sympathize with both characters that can’t have what they so desire ... each other. They are star-crossed lovers of a different sort. And it is fantastic that a topical movie such as this was created to force some of our narrow-minded world to see.
Weeks go by, a friendship blossoms, but so does an indescribable, slow burn lust towards one another. Something that had been simmering comes to a boil & explodes in an impulsive scene of love-making that takes both characters by complete surprise. They explain that they "ain't queer" to each other; but continue to fall in love as their time on Brokeback continues & concludes. Summer ends, they say their awkward goodbyes, & off they go to their everyday lives (Ennis marries & has children, ditto for Jack). Unfortunately, it is only Brokeback that allows their liberated love to flourish. Years go by before they meet again (on a 'fishing trip'; that's what they tell their wives they're going to Brokeback for). But Ennis' wife Alma (Michelle Williams), gets the unfortunate honor of seeing her husband & Jack greet each other with a passionate kiss before they go off to 'fish' for the 1st time in 4 yrs. Alma suppresses her disappointment for only so long. Jack gets tired of hauling himself from his home in Texas to 'ole Brokeback in Wyoming every year.
Telling the rest of the plot won't help anyone fully understand exactly what these 2 men go through to keep their love alive. I am very impressed by how Ang Lee deals with the sickeningly controversial topic of homosexuality within this unique story and the torment that ensnarls these men, their jobs, & the lives of their families. Michelle Williams & Anne Hathaway lend subtle, yet great performances (as the wives); just watch Williams' face in the moments after she 1st sees her husband embrace Jack – the kaleidoscope of emotions that rush across her face for the next few minutes onscreen is devastating.
But most accolades must go to Ledger & Gyllenhaal for their torturously realistic portrayals of two men who love each other and who try to stand all tests from society. Ledger gives the more complex, nuance-laden performance of a 'man's man' who has to face non-conventional stereotypes, as well as his own personal demons. Gyllenhaal portrays the more sexually explorative role; trying to convince Ennis that a world without the two of them together is a dead world. Both performances are brilliant. And there's a scene near the end (with Ledger) in an upstairs bedroom that nearly ripped my heart out.
'Brokeback Mountain' is just an incredibly immersive film; beginning with Ennis & Jack at age 19 and concluding some 20 yrs. later. And I felt those 20 yrs. almost as much as they did; as if we, the audience, were right along for the ride of these tormented men as each month apart, each year, each lonely decade goes by. This is a love story for the ages. It is not your conventional love story. But nevertheless, it yanks on your heartstrings & forces you to sympathize with both characters that can’t have what they so desire ... each other. They are star-crossed lovers of a different sort. And it is fantastic that a topical movie such as this was created to force some of our narrow-minded world to see.