What a gift from Ang Lee

Rating: 10/10 (25 January 2006)

There is almost nothing I can add to the many wonderful reviews on this site. But I had to add mine in the hope that getting it out of my mind and into the computer will put me at rest. Well, I can hope.
As most everyone knows, this movie unfolds a tale of two lonely cowboys, Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal), who, surprisingly to them, fall in love one summer while they are tending sheep on Brokeback Mountain. The strength of their feeling for each other must be denied verbally but explodes physically, with Ennis retching out his guts as he walks away from Jack at the end of the summer. Right here you begin to feel the depth that this movie touches in the viewer as your heart cringes at the scene. Nothing is said, but the picture shows you everything. Ennis, being a rough and tough cowboy, refuses to acknowledge or accept his "forbidden" love for Jack.
To say that the reunion of Ennnis and Jack four years later is of a "long lost love," does not do justice to the strength of the feelings that overtake the men when they see each other again. This scene shakes the viewer on two levels. One is the perfect performances of Heath and Jake as they clutch and kiss. The other is the reaction of Michelle Williams as Ennis' wife, Alma, who catches her husband in the arms of another man. This is the scene that foretells the rest of the movie: You know that Ennis and Jack will be soul mates forever, whether they are together or not, and you know that their marriages, their attempts to conform to social mores, are essentially over.
It is this constant jerking of the heart, between the all-consuming love of Jack and Ennis and the feeling of the doomed nature of that love, that keeps you riveted in your seat, that brings all the emotions of the ups and downs of your own life into play. While you may not recognize the exact story, you do know exactly what the emotions are and they can be devastating to you.
This is also exactly what makes this movie a work of art. Who has not, at least once, heard a piece of music or seen a theater performance that evoked such feelings? When a work of art is able to bring the viewer into the experience the artist is trying to express, that's when you know it has accomplished its purpose.
One of the songs in the movie, "A Love That Will Never Grow Old" won a Golden Globe award and reflects one of the major themes in the movie. The movie won three other Golden Globes as well, because it speaks to so many of us on so many different levels.
It addresses the homophobia of our times, both externally and internally.
It reaches into the hearts and minds of millions of men (and women) who have experienced the same forces in their lives--their personal expression of love versus society's views of love.
All of us have regrets, deep ones, ones we'd rather forget, that are being resurfaced because of this movie.
As Ang Lee says, "The story is both unique and universal." That's the magic he has concocted for us in this beautiful, unforgettable, wrenching film.
As Jake Gyllenhaal says, "I think if we'd known the kind of reaction we would get, we could never have made the film." And it's precisely because of these two statements that the film has come together as a miraculous piece of art. Because it is unique and universal, the audience ranges from teenagers to older folks. Because no one knew how it would be received, everyone involved in the production was able to give the story the very tender care and attention that it needed without concerning themselves with the outcome. Lee said the set became very quiet during the filming of one of the last scenes, and he turned around to see everyone, cast and crew, crying; a demonstration of the effect of the integrity with which this film was created.
This movie has touched my mind and heart in many ways: the capacity of our brothers on the planet to create great beauty using simple, yet powerful, ideas; the importance of being open and accepting in all areas of our lives; the need for courage to be as truthful as we can without endangering others; and the necessity of the presence of love in our lives in order to experience the truth of it. All this through a heart-breaking story of pain and loss.
As far as I am concerned, I'll take that kind of experience over other types of "entertainment" any day. I can truthfully say that no other movie has affected me in the manner this one has. Thanks to one and all connected with it.