Lovely scenery, story a bit weak

Rating: 7/10 (18 December 2005)

The most outstanding part of this movie is the outdoor cinematography --- it really shows the beauty of the back country. The story, however, is stretched too thin. All you get is a brief peek to see that "yes, this is happening", but you don't really *feel* it happening. To be fair, I got the same feeling from the short story when I read it a few years ago too, and it is a hard thing to do. But that's what this story is about, so it has to succeed on that level for me to give it a 10. The acting was a bit uneven as well: Heath Ledger gave the most moving performances in the movie, though the first breakdown scene didn't quite pull me into it. Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway also get a chance to make us feel for them; they pull it off well, though Anne's scene has no background as to why she should feel that way. I see in the ratings that it's a "love or hate" situation, and I think those people are voting for or against homosexuality and/or Ang Lee, not the movie itself --- it isn't terrible, but it isn't perfect either.