Very Disappointing

Rating: 1/10 (31 January 2006)

I felt that this movie is bastardization and commercialization of a very intimate experience that requires great attention to the detail and the process leading up to the actions / decisions brought to life through the characters. I would assume, based upon what I saw, that the director has not had this experience and approached the topic from an "outsider" perspective. I feel that the director, and the lead actors, did not achieve the true essence of the inner workings of the storyline within each of the characters.
I feel that the director spent more time on showing the decisions that each male character made regarding the sharing of the sexuality / passion / trust / love / etc. than the process leading up to those decisions. You cannot have the bread without the peanut butter and jelly to make a sandwich. Otherwise you have bread. The problem with this movie is that both men did not spend enough time developing the center of their characters and having that energy radiate outward to the representations of men going through the process of love and reconciling whatever religion, environmental, masculine, machismo standards that have been imposed upon them since their birth. I would agree that Heath Ledger was wonderful in showing his age and progression through the movie.
I have to give kudos to the make up artist and the way in which Heath was shot as the movie progressed. However, I was disappointed in the amount of Wyoming scene shots that were used in the beginning of the movie and that the interactions between the two did not have an escalation leading up to the consummation of passion and deep-seated feelings brought to the surface by the other character. Additionally, I did not care for the amount of "sappy" music throughout the entire movie and felt like the movie on the whole was a series of still shots linked together and did not have the fluidity in the development of the idea and the execution of the idea to quench my taste. It all made me think that an "outsider" was attempting to capture an intimate experience that is full of real and raw emotion and substance that would give great material for an actor to really hone some methods and skills.
Unfortunately, the details were not attended and the attempt, in my opinion, failed. It is a clear representation that the director tried to replicate a story that was not familiar to him and you can see / sense / feel that throughout the film. On the flip side, I appreciate that the subject matter is put out into the mainstream for others to witness and view. I realize that I have placed a hyper critical eye / perspective on the film and its presentation of the subject matter. However, I do find value in the larger scope of what we are presented everyday.