Slowly but undeniably arresting

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 2006)

When I left the theater after seeing this film, I hardly thought I had seen an exceptional movie, much less the best picture of the year. But "Brokeback Mountain" has a way of sinking in as the hours, and then the days, pass by. I found myself talking about it twenty minutes before midnight on New Year's, screaming in my boyfriend's ear over deafening music and drunken conversations. It's that kind of movie.
The film is blessed with a gifted cast who play their parts to perfection. I admit I expected to see the Heath Ledger I knew from "A Knight's Tale," but fortunately that guy is nowhere to be found. Ledger infuses a subtlety and sadness into Ennis Del Mar that brings the movie to a whole other level. Unlike Jack Twist, Ennis seems to accept the facets of his existence that make him different, despite every attempt to blend into a non-descript, ordinary life. Jake Gyllenhaal, the man with a plan, delivers a moving and convincing performance as Ennis' lover. His forwardness serves as a perfect complement to Ennis' taciturn reluctance. And Michelle Williams, as Ennis' wife, finally has the opportunity to prove her acting talents - which were evident in Dawson's Creek - to a larger and more receptive audience.
"Brokeback Mountain" is a poignant, simple, and beautiful love story. Walking into the theater, I might have injected "gay" somewhere in that description, but this film transcends gender and sexuality. Yes, the story is a sad one, but I never felt terribly sorry for Ennis or Jack. They found something that most people spend their lifetimes searching for. Perhaps "Brokeback Mountain" will be regarded as a landmark "gay film," a sign of enlightened attitudes and modern times. And maybe it is that. But even without the cultural hype surrounding this film, the love story that defines the characters and shapes their lives is a universal theme. Ennis and Jack wanted only what they couldn't have. And who can't relate to that?