Brokeback Mountain
Starring: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Linda Cardellini, Anna Faris, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams, Randy Quaid
Directed by: Ang Lee

Released in the US: December 16th, 2005
Released in the UK: January, 2006

Reviewed by: Adam Mast, ZBoneman.com

Brokeback Mountain is certainly a picture that will raise a few eyebrows, particularly if you’re homophobic. But then, if you are, you probably wouldn’t check this film out anyway. Perhaps you should. Even I was uncomfortable with a couple of scenes in this movie, and I’m not homophobic. As the film progressed though, Brokeback Mountain becomes something much deeper than a tragic tale of forbidden love.

Brokeback Mountain opens in 1963 Wyoming and tells the story of ranch hand Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and amateur bull rider Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), two cowboys who take a job herding sheep under harsh conditions in the grasslands of Brokeback Mountain. As the two pass their time, they become good friends. One incredibly cold evening, a shivering Ennis is invited into the confines of Jack’s tent. There is no ulterior motive on Jack’s part. He’s simply doing right by his buddy. Then, during the course of the night, the unthinkable happens. On sheer impulse, Ennis and Jack engage in a sexual act. At first, they fight their confused urges, but ultimately, they are unable to hold back their raw emotions. The following morning, their uncomfortable silence leads to a discussion about what happened the night before. They tell one another that what they did was a mistake, but it’s clear that the two have feelings that they aren’t at all comfortable with.

Eventually, the sheep herding job comes to an end, and both men go their separate ways. Ennis ultimately stays in Wyoming and marries his long time sweetheart Alma (Michelle Williams), while Jack moves to Texas and falls for rodeo princess Lureen (Anne Hathaway). Both eventually have children, but all the while they’re leading these separate lives, they continue to think of each other. Then, on a sunny day, Ennis receives a post card from Jack announcing that he’s coming for a visit. Almost instantly, Ennis’ somber demeanor turns to one of lively hopefulness. The two do re-connect again, and over the course of several years secretly meet. Jack has aspirations of staying with Ennis, but Ennis has a completely different opinion on the subject.

Brokeback Mountain is based on a short story by Shipping News author E. Annie Proulx and adapted for the screen by Lonesome Dove scribe Larry McMurtry (with an assist by Diana Ossana). The film plays as a contemporary western with an uncompromising twist. The relationship aspect of the picture is handled with true finesse by gifted director Ang Lee, a film maker who is diverse to say the least (check out Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm, or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).

I must admit, as I watched Brokeback Mountain, I felt uneasy by what I was about to see. But once “the scene” is finally out of the way, Brokeback Mountain becomes a thing of absolute beauty. This isn’t a movie about sex. It works on a much deeper level than that. This is a story about two people who really care for each other in a world that won’t accept their love. What’s more, the relationships that Ennis and Jack lead aside from one another are equally interesting.

Each performance here is crafted with enormous care. Jake Gyllenhaal is outstanding as the boyish and determined Jack. He gets to a point in his life where he doesn’t care what others think of him or his love towards Ennis. Between Brokeback Mountain and Jarhead, Gyllenhaal had a banner year. Michelle Williams simply breaks the heart as the simple and loving Alma. She knows of Ennis’ affection for Jack, but holds her feelings in - either because she doesn’t want to believe it or because she hopes that Ennis will outgrow it. It’s really up to the audience to decide. Anne Hathaway sheds her Disney image (you may remember her from Princess Diaries) as the sassy Lureen. As is evident by her first encounter with Jack, she’s the type of gal who, when she sees what she wants, simply goes for it. As great as these performances are, Brokeback Mountain really belongs to Heath Ledger. Where this turn came from, I’m not certain, but it is clearly one of the best performances of the year. His soft spoken Ennis has a lot of internal pain, and he only truly comes alive when he’s with Jack. This is a sincere, heartfelt performance and one of conviction and enormous restraint. As a team, Ledger and Gyllenhaal deserve extra props for their uninhibited and courageous work..

I do have a few gripes with Brokeback Mountain. I never totally got sucked into the episodic nature of the film. I couldn’t grasp that several years actually passed, and I could have done without Jake Gyllenhaal’s dopey looking mustache. I mean seriously, it makes him look like the cowboy from the Village People. Keep in mind, that isn’t a homophobic statement, it’s just a stab at the make-up department.

Overall though, Brokeback Mountain is a beautiful film. It’s simply stunning to look at (Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography is masterful) and I was extremely moved by the entire experience. As for the subject matter, I wasn’t at all bothered by it. You don’t have to accept or understand homosexuality to understand what this film is trying to say. As for myself, I have a simple philosophy about the lifestyle; I’ve never entirely understood it, but I’ve always accepted it, and perhaps that’s how it should be, because it really isn’t my lifestyle to understand. The bottom line is, who are we to tell someone else who they can or cannot love. In any event, Brokeback Mountain is simply a movie, and a darned good one at that.

Grade: A-