Heart wrenchingly beautiful

Rating: 10/10 (6 February 2006)

This film is simply fantastic! It is not often that I see a film and am so completely drawn in and overwhelmed by all of its aspects. Endless comments and praise about superb performances from Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are not exaggerated. Michelle Williams delivers a wonderful performance as the innocent bystander of the relationship between Ennis & Jack.
What is often overlooked is that the cinematography, scoring and visual impact of the film is stupendous, even overwhelming in places. All this combined with a brilliant adaptation of a simple, sad, but very short story makes one wonder at it all.
My only disappointment is that the film had such limited release early on (and probably still does!) and that the publicity machine of Hollywood found it endlessly necessary to remind of of the fact that the male stars are straight. It is a sad commentary: that the terrible prejudices depicted so powerfully in the film still exist today. This is not a sad tale of how things were oh, so long ago, but resonates strongly today as well. One can only hope that these brilliant performances and the wide acceptance the movie has achieved will help to break down that barrier of society.