Brokeback Mountain
By: Moviefaire | Category: On DVD | 04/03/06 | 02:50 PM
 |  |  Grade: A- | Genre: Drama/Romance
Summary: The heart wants what it wants in this haunting love story which is made with a depth, passion, and sincerity that has not been seen in a romance in years. Phobias should be left at the door.
Despite all circumstances and societal pressures, a sensitive, tender love grows between two people caught in an era that, simply put, is not ready for them. Brokeback Mountain is the history of a romance that lasts through many seasons and changes, and this film demonstrates unflinchingly and painfully, the consequences of what can happen to people who fail to follow their hearts. In this movie based on a short story by Pulitzer Prize winning author E. Annie Proulx, two poor ranch hands take jobs guarding a flock of sheep on Brokeback Mountain in the lush Wyoming wilderness. Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) are stationed in this desolate world and come to know each other as men and eventually, out of loneliness, as lovers. |
As they begin their friendship, it is clear that these cowboys are opposites. Ennis is a young man of few words, unspoken fears, and so many guarded thoughts that Jack, a rodeo rider and an outgoing dreamer, has to draw him out of his shell. The men keep the coyotes away, guard the sheep, and have nothing but dull meals to eat and time on their hands. Then one night, after too much to drink and when it's too cold for either of them to sleep outside, they have sex, an act that is, in reality, surprising to both of them. The next day Ennis dismisses the act as a "one-shot thing," and Jack agrees, but it is far from over. Ennis and Jack develop the only real passion that either of them will ever feel for another human being. Their relationship possesses that rare quality in love, where the two people involved actually complete each other. In a brave film that never steps away from the personal story of these men to state a "message" that we already know, director Ang Lee, focuses intently on Ennis and Jack, and that aspect alone makes this film universal. Because this movie is very specifically about the characters, the love story applies to anyone who has ever had to suppress their love for whatever reasons. This is not a movie about agendas, but simply about love, and this film is one of the most heart-wrenching romance stories produced in years.
 | | | Brokeback Mountain | | Starring: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams & Anne Hathaway | | Director: Ang Lee |
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Since this story is character driven, I have to stop at this point and say, Heath Ledger owns this movie outright. I have watched Ledger with great anticipation in recent years as he has quietly honed his craft. As Ennis, Ledger delivers an extraordinarily controlled performance of a man of few words, whose heartache was so powerful on the inside that I wept when he did, and shuddered with him at the painful regret in his life. Ledger fashions a characterization of a man who is unable to give himself over to his feelings, and he does it so profoundly that the frustration Ennis emotes becomes the force that propels the drama itself. Ennis Del Mar fascinates you with every glance, with every tight-lipped word, and Ledger's portrayal of this man, who is so confined within his own spirit that he can barely function, is a revelation to behold. Heath Ledger slips into the skin of this loner, who has made an art of suppressing his feelings and his words, and he presents him painfully well.
The other performance I find quite admirable is unfortunately not Jake Gyllenhaal's, but Michelle Williams, as Ennis's wife Alma, who portrays a simple woman in love, facing an infidelity she cannot encompass after she witnesses her husband and Jack share an amorous kiss. Her fear and bitter resignation is palpable as she wants to keep her husband but is overwhelmed and confused as to how to address the issue of his affair with Jack. Gyllenhaal's performance as Jack is a solid one, but while his character is more outgoing in nature and he does not have the deeper angst to work through (for Jack has accepted that he is gay), I still found Gyllenhaal's performance not as convincing as Ledger's and thought it lacking somewhat in depth.
While there are a few elements in the movie itself that bothered me a bit, such as how Jack and his wife (Anne Hathaway) age unconvincingly, and the slight travelogue element to the film, these flaws are merely minor wrinkles in this movie. Ang Lee paces this film carefully so the audience gets use to the flow of the men's lives. The movie efficiently details nearly 20 years of history and growth in just over two hours. The story moves in and around the heartbreak and complexity of the character's trials, but it never resorts to melodrama and attains emotional truth in every scene, thanks to the brilliant script by Larry McMurty and Diana Ossana, and again to the genius of Ledger's performance.
In the end, this movie represents real love in a way that mainstream movies have forgotten to do, and if you can leave any prejudices at the door, this movie will remind you of how deep love can be realized and how utterly profound and devastating the lack of it can feel.
Originally Posted: January 12, 2006
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