Astonishing, Numbing, and Resonant

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 2005)

I have never been as profoundly moved by a motion picture as I was by Brokeback Mountain. I sit here, having seen the film hours ago, and still feel numb and hollow, as if the movie has grabbed me and won't let me go. Will everyone feel this way? Maybe, maybe not. As a gay man I may be more 'in tune' with it, I guess, but this is at its core not a gay movie. It's a human movie. This is a real love story, as heartbreaking as it is beautiful.
Heath Ledger makes a star turn in this film. If this doesn't get him the Oscar, there is no justice in the industry. Gyllenhaal is wonderful as well, and the women manage to hold their own. Michelle Williams is fantastic, and Anne Hathaway does a lot of great things with a relatively minor role (in comparison to the other three).
I sit here still processing this movie, still upset by the tragedy, still undergoing that hollow feeling. Hopefully writing this will help me express it and process it better. See this movie. You won't be disappointed.