Brokeback Mountain Review
WARNING: You may learn some of the details about this film... don't read if you don't want to know certain aspects of the ending!...I have never been one for trends. The moment something comes out and everyone says "it's a must see or must have," completely turns me off. Why would I want something that so many people have? Or see something so trite and usually very hackneyed? Can I keep my individuality for just one moment??
However, in regard to Brokeback Mountain, I yearned to see it. The buzz was too motivating and subject matter forcibly captivating. I finally saw it last week. It kept me awake all night, thinking about the definition of love and wondering if I knew what it meant. It provoked me to fight for human rights. The melancholic love story struck a chord so deeply that I found myself weeping for two fictional characters for two hours after the film. It still resonates within me, so I knew I had to tell you all about it.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger were absolutely mesmerizing in their roles. They play two cowboys in a secrete love affair that spans over a few decades. Yes, it's the gay cowboy movie, but more than that...it is an enduring love story, full unspoken passion and desire. The main characters could have been heterosexual men but have had the same appeal and amount of adoration and esteem for each other. Yet, it is also a tragic story, twisted with bitter sweet foreshadowing. Both men unravel because society enforces unhappy rules against them. They are essentially "broken characters." In 1960, self-righteousness was prevalent, as it is today. It certainly was not a gay man's sexual revolution. Presently, we might be more tolerant and accepting of gays and lesbians in our bigger cities, but homophobia is rampant across the South and Mid-West. I have always supported gay marriage because no one knows God's bidding and what is truly "right." But, I digress.
When a society discriminates and restricts its citizen's from happiness, all lives are wrecked. Heath Ledger's character, Ennis Del Mar, never admits his love for Jack. He tries to deny his passion and keeps his heart at a distance from everyone around him, including his wife and daughters. At one point, he even blames Jack for being gay. Whereas, Jake Gyllenhaal's character, Jack Twist, accepts being gay and as a substitute for Ennis's absence pursues other men. He openly tries to convince Ennis to move in together and start a ranch. Although he is also married, Jack accepts societies values and works around them. He is ultimately a happier man, until society breaks him with a good ol' fashion bludgering. When Jack died, Ennis may have lived, but he died that day, too. Yet, he finds some redemption. From this violent ending, Ennis finally learns to openly love the ones around him.
I can't say enough about this film. It is simply brilliant, divine, elegant and revolutionary in story telling. The cinematography and art direction also make this movie worth seeing. Additionally, Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway express themselves honestly as heartbroken wives, but their roles are almost insignificant in comparison to the main character's angst and drama. Every cast member honored the integrity of this film and storyline.
Please see it...even if you are an Evangelical Christian heterosexual male, taking steroids, cocaine, viagra and own two guns. My cookie-cutter friends loved it and were astonished that they were in tears over a male romance. I am sure even Steven Segal and Quentin Tarantino would appreciate this magnetic story. Congratulations to Ang Lee. He surpassed himself. Now hopefully, our society will learn something valuable too...acceptance and love.
PS. Mr. Bush, why don't you examine the true state of America, cowboy. Or does your investigation into our lives include our "sexual perversions?"
posted by Only The Lonely @ 6:22 PM
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