Bittersweet and star-crossed

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2005)

I have to admit it; I was expecting a lot out of this film. I had read about it being in the making a year ago on salon.com and have been twiddling my thumbs in anticipation since. Ang Lee took this short story and the subsequent screenplay to great heights. I was not disappointed.
Gyllenhaal and Ledger have a good degree of on-screen chemistry, at times I found myself forgetting that I was watching two straight men giving their interpretations of what same-sex love looks like. Although the inevitable discomfort between the two men wasn't really tangible, the underlying emotions that they have described, especially surrounding the shooting of the love scenes, made the inner turmoil these characters had to face all the more believable.
My take on the relationship between these two men is a little different than most. Yes, they are two star-crossed lovers torn between the world they dream of and the one they actually live in. Yes, you really can feel their frustrations. But, I don't believe the characters are as similar to each other as other reviews would have you believe. Jack is gay. There is little question. If he could not share his life with Ennis, he would find another love. Knowing that he would move on from this love interest when rejected does not discount the pure emotion he feels for Ennis. Ennis's sexuality, on the other hand, is not quite so cut and dry. It could be taken either way, I suppose; but, my take on it was that Ennis was never able to reconcile his relationship with Jack because he did not usually have these kinds of attractions/needs. It seemed that Ennis happened to fall, as the saying goes, hopelessly in love with a man.
The real beauty of the film lies not in character development, spectacular scenery, or really good acting. What made this movie for me was what was not there. There was none of the fluff and quirky slap-stick so many other romantic dramas rely on. There was no attempt to relieve the viewers' angst and subsequent anguish with the denouement. I know I held my tongue the last 10 minutes of the film for fear that Lee would leave us on an upbeat, optimistic view on Ennis's future.
Bittersweet may well be an over-used adjective. Here I can think of no better description, though. I think of this tragic love story as a piece of fine, dark chocolate--70% cocoa. It's honestly not for everyone, but most could appreciate it's indulgent, rich qualities, whether they partake or not.