A bit too slow perhaps but engaging, beautifully filmed, well acted and touching in a low-key and repressed way

Rating: Null/10 (6 February 2006)

1963. Two men meet for the first time as they enter the employment of Joe Aguirre to tend his flock of sheep as they graze over the coming months. Although forestry rules establish set camps across the land, Aguirre wants his flocks guarded against predators day and night so, while Ennis tends camp and prepares meals etc, Jack stays high on the mountain with the flock, returning only for meals. Few words are exchanged between the two as the weeks go by. Despite this though they develop an easy chemistry and, one night when they have both had too much whisky to go back to the flock, they share a bed together for warmth. One night of rough fumbling and spit-lubricated sex later and they wake the next morning with assurances of it being a "one shot deal". However, the first time done, it becomes easier to do it again and the pair become lovers. The season ends early due to impending storms and the two split with barely a word; Ennis to his marriage and Jack back to his rodeo riding. However the events on the mountain stay with them both.
Perhaps it says more about me than anything else, but when I heard a year or so back that someone was making a "gay western" I assumed that it would be a horrid attempt at camp comedy. As to why Ang Lee was doing it seemed beyond me (although he had done Hulk so anything seemed possible). However watching it I quickly caught on that this story is not beyond him at all and is in fact an area he has touched on in several of his films thus far  repression, desire and hidden longing from people trying to be one thing in public and another behind tightly closed doors. The film opens with barely a word and continues in the same vein, although it engaged me with this approach from start to finish, I must admit that I felt the story was a little slower than it needed to be and was being a bit self-indulgent with all its pauses and silences. However the viewers mostly likely to be put off by the requirement of patience are most likely to the same ones already put off by the subject matter.
The story is simple and exists in the hearts of the two men. The film is enjoyable as it builds to the sex and, although unconvincing in "how" and "why" it happens, it gets passed it well and before long it has become more about the feelings than the sex. This makes the film last because it makes it work regardless of sexuality and regardless of the audience's view of homosexuality. Essentially it comes down to the effect on the two men of living a form of lie and this makes the second half of the film as engaging as it is heart breaking to watch. Again, going slower than it needs to (but still covering a couple of decades in about 80 minutes) the film shows Ennis and Jack trying to fill the gap left by the other but still finding nothing better than one another, despite the risks. There are no dramatic falls or even that many high-volume confrontations but it does just show the pain inside them really well and Ang Lee allows the actors the space and the wide frames to work within to show it.
Ledger is excellent and dominates the film with a quiet pain that is tangible. Working with mumbles and few expressions of emotion, he shows so much with his eyes and his body language that it makes his character very easy to feel for. The times where the emotion does spill out is just as convincing and compelling. Gyllenhaal weirdly has a showier role but is less interesting. His story is less interesting and his more animated performance doesn't set as well as Ledger's does with Lee's direction and the restrained tone of the film. The two have a good chemistry together and have both done well to keep their relationship natural and easy to care about. Support is generally very good despite having a few famous faces in roles so small that I wondering if some of their material had been cut out (Quaid for example). Williams is very good, initially confused but gradually angry and hurt at being cut off; like Ledger she does a lot without saying much. Mara's performance suggests that should Julia Roberts ever break, we have a replacement already tested and ready to go. Lee's direction very much suits the material and he uses the washed out landscapes to give the film a cold feel that compliments the performances and contrasts nicely with the moments of passion and emotion experienced on the mountainside.
This won't be to everyone's tastes and many audiences will not even try to get past the "gay western" badge; likewise even some watching it might struggle with the glacial pace it consistently has. However the story and the pace is in the characters and they (and their relationship) are drawn out in painfully real terms. The performances are strong and, considering the pin-up credentials of both men, brave. Lee's direction is slow but the result is a story that is engaging, painful and quite touching despite the fact that everything is delivered in a very muted and low-key way.