Brokeback Mountain LGBTQ Film Review

Rating: 9/10 (23 January 2017)

Brokeback Mountain, a 2005 film directed by Ang Lee, tells the story of two young cowboys who, after becoming partners, develop an intimate sexual relationship. This tale stars two men, Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist, played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, who get a job together herding sheep on Brokeback Mountain. As time passes, the men find themselves emotionally connecting, and after a night of drinking, they have sex in Jack's tent. Despite their night together, both men come to the consensus that they "are not queer" and leave the mountain. Having left the mountain, the film shows both men getting married, and having children with women named Alma and Lureen. Several years later, Jack arrives shortly at Ennis's house and the two men embrace while Alma watches from inside. Their trip back to Brokeback prompts Jack to ask Ennis whether they could make a life together, and Ennis remembers an incident from his childhood where a gay man was killed, forcing him to say no to Jack. Finally, the men return to their homes and several years pass before Ennis receives word of Jack's death. Ennis quickly calls Lureen and then takes a trip to Jack's parents' house, allowing him to grieve and receive closure after Jack's passing.
Brokeback Mountain is able to reach both heterosexual and LGBTQ audiences extremely well, and has solidified itself as one of the greatest LGBTQ films of all time. Until 2005, films that showed LGBTQ individuals struggled to connect with heterosexual audiences, and many failed in theaters due to this challenging balance. Brokeback embraces this risk and is characterized as a "universal love story", in which influential actors bring homosexual struggles into the spotlight. One issue, shown by the relationships Ennis and Jack hold with the outside world, is the presence of homophobia in rural Wyoming. After being caught by Mr. Aguirre, the boss of Brokeback Mountain, the men are fired from their jobs and told that there "ain't no work" for them. In addition to this scene, the men are put down by heterosexual father figures in each of their lives ranging from Ennis's father who forces him to see the dead body of a gay man, to Jack's father-in-law who internally decides that Jack is not fit to lead his family, taking his seat at the head of the table and disciplining Jack's child. Ennis is especially effected by this homophobia from a young age, causing him to silence his emotions and express hyper-masculine behavior throughout the film. His masculine behavior acts helps to mask his own sexual desires for Jack, and also helps him conform to the traditional society around him.
In an effort to attract heterosexual audiences, Brokeback Mountain models the characters of Ennis and Jack from traditional western cowboy protagonists. Through this comparison, the film is able to reach a broad audience, while still maintaining its focus on the LGBTQ community. Both men marry and have children as was normal of heterosexual cowboys during the 60s. Additionally, the men enforce gender roles by having their wives care for the children while they travel and relax on the mountain.
Examining the film according to its historical accuracy produces extremely impressive results showing Ang Lee's mastery in representing the culture of cowboys in the 60s. Many men during this time period engaged in romantic friendships similar to the one shown by Jack and Ennis, and even lived together in an effort to save money. This was tolerated by ranchers because of the extreme need for laborers, but was by no means accepted by the large community. In conclusion, although a small minority of LGBTQ reviewers wanted to see more focus on the relationship and struggle the men go through, the film was widely acclaimed by all audiences and will continue to be a classic for years to come.
This film by Ang Lee put a spotlight on the LGBTQ community, opening the eyes of many heterosexual people to the struggle that men like Jack and Ennis dealt with on a daily basis. I respect the film for the large-scale impact it had, but I would not see it again based on the violence shown in many of the sex scenes. These scenes leave the audience confused and therefore takes away from the message that their life-long emotional repression prevents them from expressing themselves in a "normal" manner. This film also defies the common thought that all homosexual men need to be flamboyant. Although each man's sexuality is repressed, Ennie and Jack are first and foremost recognized as cowboys, not gay cowboys. Overall this film appeals to a wide audience, yet plays into some stereotypes that take away from the struggle for sexual expression with masculinity. Brokeback Mountain showcases the pain in a lack of acceptance within a society, beneficial to an audience wanting to understand the struggle of a specific population of the LGBT community.