Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain is a stunning story and a tremendous film, one worthy of multiple viewings. I’ve now seen it twice, but didn’t feel fully prepared to write a review about it after the first viewing. Now, after the second viewing of this fine film from director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Ice Storm, Hulk), I feel more qualified to pen a proper review.

Brokeback Mountain, from 2005, is an epic story of love and relationships. The film spans a period of time in the American West from 1963 to 1983 and follows the relationship of two men and the relationships surrounding the two men. It is a tale of love, devotion, friendship, and the realities of secrets and deception. Many people were put off by the film’s depiction of homosexuality, as the two men enter into a love affair that spans two decades. The homosexuality, however, is far from the main focus of the film and provides a raw narrative that allows us insight into the motivations of these two men. It’s not a “gay cowboy movie” any more than it’s a “heterosexual cowboy movie”, so judging the film based on fragmented logic really does a disservice to Lee’s intelligent and gorgeous piece.

Heath Ledger (The Order, The Four Feathers) stars as Ennis del Mar, a ranch hand that doesn’t say much. Jake Gyllenhaal (October Sky, Donnie Darko) stars as Jack Twist, a former rodeo cowboy that has a confused sexual history. Twist and del Mar meet during a sheep herding job up on Brokeback Mountain and begin to develop a relationship. It starts with a brief but very intense sexual encounter one night, followed by a denial of the sexuality that encompassed the encounter. The two men decide they “ain’t queer” and that the encounter was a one-time thing, but that very quickly becomes not true as the sexual relationship develops throughout the rest of the job up on Brokeback. Their emotional relationship develops as well and the two men become friends and lovers quite quickly. The sheep herding job is a disaster, however, and the job comes to an end ahead of schedule. The two men don’t know how to handle being apart and get into a fight, as though the aggression will somehow trump the pain they both feel. Lee captures this beautifully.

After the two part ways at the end of the job, “reality” sets in. Ennis marries his long-time girlfriend Alma (Michelle Williams) and the two start a family, experiencing all of the difficulty that comes with raising two kids on very low income. Their relationship is strained and chaotic and the sexual encounters between Ennis and Alma reflect both the current situation and Ennis’ previous encounters with Jack on Brokeback. Jack, meanwhile, has gone back to the life of the rodeo and quickly meets a fast moving rodeo princess, Lureen (Anne Hathaway). The two have an immediate sexual connection and marry, having a son. Jack goes to work for Lureen’s rich father. Four years later, Jack sends Ennis a postcard and the two meet for the first time since Brokeback. Their passions for one another quickly rekindle and the pair try to acquaint their passions with their current lifestyles.

The film follows this struggle through the next twenty or so years. Lee observes the tumultuous relationships of Ennis with close resolve, as Alma can no longer stand what she knows about Ennis (she observes Ennis and Jack kissing) and can no longer stand being in such a relationship, with Ennis simply living from one encounter with Jack to another. Alma and Ennis eventually divorce. Jack wants to be with Ennis more than anything and even offers to leave his own family to do so, but Ennis questions the logic of that and fears for the repercussions of being together with another man permanently. Jack is heartbroken and seeks out other encounters. The film carries on, capturing new develops in the lives of the pair and focusing on Jack’s life. Jack’s relationship with his wife is one sided, as she is a no-nonsense business woman and Jack seeks more emotional attachment. The film seems to question Jack’s sexuality as an extension of his emotional needs, offering that answer rather than a simple “itch” that Jack must scratch. In all reality, Jack is lonely and seeking companionship more than anything. He is also very much in love with Ennis.

The film progresses along, offering us many angles to the story and never presenting anything in a light of judgment or manipulation. As the film nears its tragic and heart-wrenching conclusion, we have found resonance with these characters whether we identify with their specific situations or not. Whether the relationship between Jack and Ennis hits us or whether the individual relationships and their offshoots resonate, there is something entirely human and captivating about the stories within Lee’s Brokeback Mountain.

The beautiful film was shot in the awe-inspiring Canadian Rockies in southern Alberta, which serve as a perfect and incredible double for Wyoming and parts of Texas. The scenes within the film are broad in scope, always presenting the characters as a part of the lush landscape. The pure beauty and grandeur of the cinematography is enough of a reason to see this film, but the passionate human stories involved are an added bonus. The film is so beautiful that, quite frankly, it could have been about anything and it still would have been incredible. Of course, having a brilliant script with such heart and resonating tenderness helps out a great deal. The realities of broken relationships and hurtful, longing love for another human being seem to perfectly juxtapose across the wide open spaces of Wyoming or close quarters of a home in Texas. The natural world represents a sort of freedom for Jack and Ennis, while director Lee captures the domestic lives of the two men very differently. It’s awe-inspiring film-making.

Ledger and Gyllenhaal are tremendous in the film, without a doubt. The performances are simply astounding and earth-shattering, with so many moments of extraordinary emotional range captured by these two brilliant young actors that it puts most major performances to shame. Ledger’s capture of the emotionally distance Ennis is flawless acting, with the explosiveness of his rare emotional outburst being stunning to watch and heart-wrenching to experience. Gyllenhaal’s capture of the sexually and emotionally torn Jack Twist is equally as compelling, as he represents loneliness and loss with such resolve and character, always trying to turn a positive thought towards his reality until he can no longer contain his frustration. Hathaway, Williams and Randy Quaid (among many other supporting actors) fill out the cast with impressive support, especially Hathaway who is brilliant as the always straightforward and emotionally distance Lureen (watching her hair get blonder throughout the film is a nice added character touch).

The sadness in Brokeback Mountain comes with the reaction of members of the conservative press and the Christian movements around North America. Without seeing the film, they judged it and discarded it. I am a Christian myself and was astounded and embarrassed that someone would discard a film based on its subject matter without comprehending what the artists were trying to convey and how they were conveying it. Brokeback Mountain is a beautifully tender human story with heartbreak and natural love as its centerpiece. It is too important a film to be discarded so irrationally by anyone.

Brokeback Mountain should have won the Best Picture Oscar, quite frankly. Losing out to Crash was a shame and, while Crash is also a superlative film, the themes and performances out of Brokeback Mountain are far superior to anything I have seen from 2005. It is my pick for best film of 2005 and is one of the boldest and most compelling films I have seen in quite some time.

Trailer: