Wonderfully Slow

Rating: 8/10 (19 March 2006)

First off, the cinematography and sceneries are beautiful and the acting is very controlled and introverted. This last part enables the movie to stay far away from being a run-of-the-mill tearjerker, also aided by the absence of a dramatic, violin-fueled score.
Secondly, the story line subtly has multiple layers, because this movie is not just about homosexual sheep herders, in fact I believe it is hardly about that; it's more about oppression, racism, religion, the fast changing times of the 60s and 70s and how different people i different stages of society deal with those.
There's very little dialogue, but the body language tells the viewer so much, that words are really unnecessary and that is something that Ang Lee really did well. One point of criticism is that the movie runs too long. At the point where Ennis leaves Jack's parents is where it should have ended, because then the opening and ending scenes would have been identical. And the part after this shot really didn't add to the story or character development.
All in all I give it 8 out of 10, because this movie shows how delicate relationships, any relationship, can be. And it does so in a non-judgmental manner.