BBM truly stays with you

Rating: 9/10 (28 December 2005)

I went into this film with pretty high expectations, and left with those mostly filled. Still two days later, the film has stayed with me and I am struck with how much I am thinking about it, more than most any film I've ever seen.
Since the screening I have engorged myself with all the user comments and reviews I can get hold of to see what impact it is having and trying to sort out my feelings on it. Although I don't have a similar "brokeback" experience in my past, as a gay man, I am gratified to see the story told in such a sensitive and "real" way.
This film was extremely well done and deserves any Oscar nominations it gets.
My only beef with it is after the "sex" scene on the mountain, I didn't get the falling in love part that continues four years later and then on "fishing" trips after that. Somehow I didn't see how the connection that was made on the mountain progressed from mere horseplay and camaraderie to out and out forbidden love. I would have liked to see more of how that happened.
Maybe it's more realistic to understand that there would not have been a lot of additional verbalizing, but still I was left making that leap of faith instead of seeing and believing it on the screen.
Two scenes stand out in my mind as most poignant. One was Alma's reaction to accidentally seeing her husband and Jack together in the stairwell. What a punch in the gut and you just feel for her and what it must have meant in that place and time.
The second was at the end when Ennis visits Jack's parents. It was so achingly well done, memorable as much for what was not said as much as for what was.
I can't ever remember going to see a movie more than once, but I probably will do so here. It has captivated me.
Kudos and thanks to Ang Lee, and the whole cast for making such a riveting and important work.