Scaling the heights and depths of human love by Thomas J. O'Connor

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2005)

On the website for "Brokeback Mountain" an anonymous man from Atlanta writes, "It would seem that after 14 years of marriage to a women I love endlessly, my father's death, three career changes and twenty two years that I should be able to press onward, and thought I had, but I haven't. I wept uncontrollably after watching this film....and I can't watch it again, because it is too painful...however, thank you for the film. It touches a chord that nothing else has." His is one of a score of intimate portraits featured on the site. It is apparent that this seemly unique love story is not as uncommon or shocking as one might think.
At this time, anticipation for the film version of "Brokeback Mountain," referred to unjustly by many as "the gay cowboy movie," has reached near fever pitch with already 7 Golden Globe nominations. Such early accolades can be a blessing and a curse, as there now exists the potential for the film to be over-hyped, thereby lessening its quiet dramatic impact, as was the case for me. Still, it is undeniably an important film, one that has the potential to bridge the gap between the homophobic intellect and the unbiased heart. Not only is "Brokeback Mountain" a story of a deep love between two men, but of those who share in their lives yet exist at the edges, their spouses and their children, aching as much for a connection with them as the main character's do for each other.
Well into the film, when Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) reunite four years after an intimate summer as sheepherders in the majestic Wyoming mountains, they abandon any sense of their surroundings, quickly indulging in passionate kisses, witnessed unbeknownst to them by Ennis' wife Alma (Michelle Williams). At the screening I attended, the audience reaction to the Alma's discovery was one of laughter, perhaps relieving any tensions the story may have built up to that point. But for me the laughter was odd. Watching a woman discover something so foreign to what she has understood her relationship with her husband to be is understandably painful. As Ennis quickly introduces Jack to Alma he simultaneously grabs his jacket and informs her not to wait up for him as they most likely will be out all night drinking and he's out the door. Alma remains in the quiet of her kitchen. She is gradually overcome by confusion and sadness after having witnessed the most pep in her husband's step in a long time. It is at this point that the movie emerges beyond the simplicity of it's gay identity to broader themes, among them fear and regret.
"Brokeback Mountain" is an extremely well crafted movie all around. The Wyoming landscape (which here is actually Alberta, British Columbia) is as stunning and impressive as is its uniformly skilled cast. While watching the film one gets the feeling that they are witness to a part of cinematic history. At times you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium.
Adrian of Sydney, Australia, another website visitor, sums up quite nicely the role this film can have in peoples lives. He writes, "it is a powerfully honest look at the most profound sort of connection you can have with another human being -- the sort of connection which defies categorization, the sort of connection which seems to re-write the way we need to look at ourselves."