Well-Crafted Gay Propaganda Movie

Rating: 5/10 (12 April 2006)

"Brokeback Mountain" is not just the title, but also a character in the movie. The beautiful and lavish shots of nature, trees, animals, water, sky, snow - all these are skilfully employed in the attempt to convey to viewers a sense, that what takes place between the male characters is "natural". The tag-line ("Love is a Force of Nature") underscores the director's intention to persuade us that, not only is gay sex "natural", it is also beautiful and loving. In doing this, Ang Lee is almost successful, and will no doubt preach his message mostly with the results he desires, convincing both the already converted and many among the undecided. The dark shadow of gay sexuality barely shows through this film, in a single, rather ritualistic encounter between Jack Twist and a male prostitute in Mexico, and also in the amusing scene where Jack and his wife Lureen meet another Midwestern couple, and the "husband" arranges a sexual meeting with Jack on the pretext of going fishing (again - how many women are going to wonder about their husband's fishing expeditions after watching this film?!). Joking aside, the film does do a good job of portraying the deceit which accompanies such empty and unhappy marriages; what it fails to do, however, is to explore the motivations and psychology of the characters in real depth. Jack and Ennis come across as two rather flat and ill-defined personalities who are little more than the director's mouthpieces. They are both sympathetic in many ways, but something's missing. What have they really found in each other? Why is their bond so strong? Ang Lee has directed a film which reinforces current stereotype notions of depathologised homosexuality. If this was a movie about a man and a woman with the same plot and setting, would it get so many awards?