Frustrated desire, intolerance and love

Rating: 9/10 (9 February 2006)

It was a coin toss between Jarhead and Brokeback just before purchasing the ticket and the film Gods must have been with me. My worry about this film was that it would merely be about gay rights and wrongs. Thankfully I was wrong and it turned out to be a film that transcends gay issues. It is a film about frustrated desire, intolerance and love. You do not have to be gay to get this film just human.
The basic premise is that Jack Twist(Gyllenhaal)and Heath Ledger (Ennis Del Marr) are in love in a world where being openly gay is a death sentence. They each marry and have families but are only truly happy when with each other. They meet up once or twice a year on Brokeback mountain over a twenty year period and share their frustrations at not being able to be with another.
The sentimental moments in the film are genuine and not forced. It is easy to empathise with these characters if you have ever felt destructive love, frustration or a feeling that you do not fit in. The direction of the film by Ang Lee is fantastic. The film is suitably paced; the scenery is fantastic and the score is poignant.
The performances across the board are superb. Right from the two main leads to their long suffering wives and the rest of the support cast. However, a special mention must go to Heath Ledger's portrayal of Ennis Del Mar who is a hard uneducated man who does not understand that their is a wider world to the one he is living in. Ledger's performance is understated, raw and genuine. Another actor may have over acted the part to the detriment of the character.
The final scene of the film is one of the best that I have seen in recent times. There is no dramatic twist but their is a realisation on the part of Ennis Del Marr that not all desires need be unfulfilled; that if you are wise enough to see the wider picture all possibilities are open to those who are brave enough to take them.
This film is highly recommended to those people who are bored with the run of the mill garbage that Hollywood seems to produce these days. If your a fan of run of the mill garbage, give this film a miss. This film is effective because of the fine cast, good direction and the visualisation of human nature at its best and worst.