A Film About Relationships

Rating: 9/10 (28 January 2006)

I went to see this film out of curiosity more than anything. I knew very little about it other than the usual media tagging of it being that 'gay cowboy film'. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about, was it truly a great film, or was it just getting media attention due to a mass-media perceived controversial subject matter? I was pleasantly surprised.
From a cinematic point of view, Ang Lee has done a fantastic job of capturing the beauty and the desperation of parts of rural America. Showing the magnificent natural scenery to great effect and convincingly transporting his audience to the little farming communities and cowboy towns of Wyoming and it surrounding regions. The music is moving and fits perfectly with what you are seeing on the screen. An understated score perfectly adds to the atmosphere and feeling that the story generates. The costumes and sets create a convincing backdrop to the period of the story.
Heath Ledger absolutely excels in his role as Ennis, a man of very few words with a lot on his mind. I came away from the film with the idea that Ennis was a man who had extreme difficulty communicating his feelings with others. This is most likely why when he experiences what he does with Jack on Brokeback that summer, he fails to cope with his own feelings, let alone those of the ones around him. Ang Lee has made this film cleverly, he never thrusts an opinion upon his audience about the characters or the decisions they make, he concentrates on analysing their reactions to the events which unfold and the way they deal with them. It is fairly obvious that homosexual relationships met with far more suspicion and disgust in the 1960s than they are in more modern times, especially in more rural areas.
This film could have easily been about two men who fell in love in a time when it was not accepted. Brokeback Mountain however, goes much deeper than this. It does not just show Ennis and Jack and victims of the time they lived in, but shows the decisions they made and the impacts it had on their lives. Jack throughout the film comes across as more accepting of his nature, where as Ennis appears to struggle more with it. But as I said before, this film is not just about 'gay cowboys', it is more of a film about relationships. The relationships between two worker who become lovers, the relations ships they both form after their season together, the relationships they would face with society and their relationships with themselves in a less understanding era.
Heath Ledger is in outstanding form throughout this film. Playing almost a tortured soul character with many difficult decisions to make about his life and himself. Jake Gyllanhall is also very good, but HEath just steals the show. Playing a man who says very few words, but he manages to convey a volume of emotion through his expression, body language and tone during the limited times he speaks out.
Of course most people will think of Brokeback Mountain as that 'gay cowboy' film, but my advice to them is go and see it. In all honesty, this film is about relationships between people, it could have feasibly been made with two sets of families involving a 'straight' affair. The homosexuality of the main characters add more depth to this film, rather than detract from the story and the themes of communication, commitment and human nature.
Most people will go and see this film and enjoy it, some more blinkered people will see it and be offended by it, worse still some damn ignorant people will refuse to see it and spout abuse and disgust purely because they are not open minded enough to enjoy a film on its own merits. I recommend you go see Brokeback Mountain, it is an intelligent, poignant, sometimes moving and sometimes sad portrayal of two people trying to find happiness with others and within themselves.