An emotional powerhouse...

Rating: 9/10 (7 May 2006)

Intensely moving drama from director Ang Lee, based on a short story by E. Annie Proulx (a surprising source for such a theme), about two disparate cowboys in 1963 Wyoming who take sheepherding job through isolated, rocky terrain; they form an almost begrudging bond that formulates itself into a sexual longing, one that both men find hard to shake off once their work is finished. Despite a tableaux-movie feel, featuring shots of dramatic cloudy skies and beautiful moonlit nights, the film isn't top-heavy with prestige. It carefully builds such an emotional resonance in its early stages that the characters become quite real, compelling and complex. It turns out the film isn't so much a "gay cowboy movie" as it is a strong, absorbing picture about human need and desire, which in this case comes across as quite natural: these two men really do belong together, their closeness seems entirely right, but the times and their surroundings do not permit this. It's a heartbreaker, written, directed and acted with genuine beauty and grace. ***1/2 from ****