Heartbreaking and utterly riveting

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 2005)

If someone had told me that the love story between two men would become one of my favorite tragic romantic tales of all time, I never would have believed them. But here I am writing a review for just such a movie and I would have to say that this is one of the most memorable love stories I have ever seen on film. Part of what makes this movie so compelling is the acting...Gyllenhaal and Ledger are amazing in these roles. Both men convey nuances of feeling with a look, a gesture, a stance....I've never seen anything quite like it. I have seen both men in other films and, for me, what makes a particularly good actor is that none of their roles seems the same. I would have to say that this is particularly true of these two actors. I had seen Gyllenhall in Day After Tomorrow, October Sky and The Good Girl...none of those roles has an iota in common with this one (and yet I enjoyed all these performances). Perhaps in this film I see a touch of the same character that Ledger created for Ned Kelley, but this is a complete divergence from Casanova (which I saw the next day), The Patriot or A Knight's Tale. Both of these men, in my opinion, are worthy contenders for Oscar nominations for their work in this film.
The writing for this film was amazing as well. The dialog was succinct and realistic. The other characters were true to life...unfortunately. Would that real life were not so true to the world portrayed in this film. Perhaps sensitively told stories like this one will serve to help change that world by showing people that love between two people doesn't depend on anything except the state of the heart and the joy and intimacy shared between them.