This is the most emotional movie-going experience I've ever had

Rating: 10/10 (19 February 2006)

Growing up a sexually conflicted person, Brokeback Mountain spoke to me like no other film ever did.
I'm biologically heterosexual but remain conflicted about having to face the fact that I may be gay -- to be precise, bisexual. I have a famous Roy Schatt photograph blow-up of James Dean 'walking in the middle of the street' poster on the bedroom wall. One thing that I had to accept as a condition to go through life without much emotional baggage is to live in self-denial through repressing my desires, for the sake of maintaining self-respect and living a Christian life.
What does the above have to do with the film? The film shows, without cynical manipulativeness and condescension that would cross the line into parody owing to stellar acting by the ensemble cast, superior screenplay adaptation and Ang Lee's gently adept direction, that longing for love out of loneliness lead to expressing one's desire is natural even if one must vigorously deny oneself's desire to be considered socially acceptable.
Before I went to see the movie last Saturday night, I had a reservation about the movie being a politically motivated gay propaganda that push buttons to manipulate the audiences. Patch Adams is one kind of a movie I despise the most. The beginning of the movie initially come off as self-important, typical for an art film, but this seeming pomposity eventually wear off and it got better as the film progress.
I'd hate to spoil the movie, because it must be seen to be experienced. I had not felt this emotionally deep watching a movie since I saw Dancer in the Dark a number of years ago. I perceive myself to be a cold and stern person, but if the film hits the right note, I let go of the rigid macho state and let the vision roll over me. That's what this film did and the emotional payoff was wondrous, to say the least.
What made Brokeback Mountain wonderful is that it does not have an iota of manipulativeness. It felt real. The actors made the movie feel like a world unto itself, as if we know the characters so well they are truly human rather than the product of superficiality in so many fiction movies. This film is the product of a superb artistic craft with the emphasis on character development, which is a commendable accomplishment.
Health Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams and a couple of older actors who portrayed one of the main protagonists' parents towards the ending made it an experience that start slow only to become intensely emotional as the film progresses. There is no indication that it might be intentionally manipulative or self-serving as strident gay propaganda. Ang Lee handled the duty of directing the film like a professional-caliber filmmaker with nary a major blunder.
Brokeback Mountain exhibit a rare quality not only as a well-directed character drama film, but also a great deal of care and respect for both characters and the audience without being manipulative and condescending.
Ang Lee is deserving of a Best Director Oscar for his incredible effort in realizing the vision with Buddhist-like caring aura that made it an amazing movie-going experience in terms of emotional openness.