A love is a merely love; however, the love in this movie was perceived as an immorality to the greater part of people in its society.

Rating: Null/10 (30 November 2006)

Once in a summer 1963, Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) met as co-workers in Brokeback Mountain. During the sheep-raising work, they fell in love with each other. As the summer passed away, they had to face a heart-rending parting. Even though they both got married and settled down, they missed each other and continued their secret love by meeting once or twice a year.
Through the story between two homosexual lovers, Brokeback Mountain shows a conflict between individual freedom and social oppression. A love is a merely love; however, the love in this movie was perceived as an immorality to the greater part of people in its society. Thus, this movie criticizes the social structure in which minorities' relationship is reproached by majorities' prejudice.
The director, Ang Lee, concentrated on defining the social problem (its theme) through leading actors' anxiety and concealment of their love against social criticism. For example, after Ennis and Jack had sex, they denied themselves to be gays and wanted to keep it in secret (00:32). This shows the social structure in which homosexuality is not only unfavorable to the society but also makes oneself open to public criticism. In the scene, their gloomy faces well describe that they are in panic and try to turn away from instinctive feeling since it is anti-social. In addition, by the close-up shot on actors' faces, their emotional conflict was effectively delivered.
The homosexual love was a taboo for most society in the past; however, many recent people recognize this as a social phenomenon. Thus, the conflict occurred between past and recent thought often becomes a good topic for the movies which defining the social problem. The King and The Clown (2005) also expressed social criticism on the homosexual love.
Two motifs contribute to the theme in Brokeback Mountain are a heard of sheep and a forest in a mountain. A heard of sheep represents the social members while shepherds and their dogs represent socially accepted idea and rule. When a sheep seceded from the procession, it is not favorable to shepherds. I also assume coyotes and other fierce animals as disciplinary punishments. For example, after Ennis and Jack had sex, Ennis found a carcass of sheep (00:30). This scene is related with the scene in which Jack killed by a few people in Ennis's imagination (01:51). Even though the movie does not clarify how Jack was killed, audiences could have the similar view as Ennis by these scenes. Another motif was a forest in a mountain. Throughout the movie, it laid out an expanse of forests in Brokeback Mountain. In this nature, two protagonists met and the love began to grow in the hearts of the two. Although these two perceived their love was not in right way for the society, the expanse of forests in Brokeback covered them. By considering the significance of nature for human being, it will be better to understand why the movie filmed in a mountain as background as well as the title. Brokeback Mountain has very special meaning for the two people: a love nest which is isolated from society.
In conclusion, Brokeback Mountain criticizes the social structure in which a minorities' relationship is reproached by a majorities' prejudice by the story between two homosexual lovers.