Some will emerge optimistically, while others will emerge not fulfilled

Rating: 9/10 (27 May 2012)

Brokeback Mountain is a beautiful film in terms of plot, scenery, acting, and execution. Its landscapes alone could give tips to any location photographer old and young, and its screenplay is a work of genuine subtlety conveyed professionally throughout the course of the film. An early scene where both men meet outside, awaiting their job assignments from their boss, you can see the way they look at each other shows they are somewhat interested. The scene is beautifully crafted, and most importantly, doesn't hammer in any overbearing "love at first sight clichés" and doesn't make this romance out to be pretentious just because it's different.
The men are Jack Twist (Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Ledger), two sheepherders who get assigned to work on Brokeback Mountain in Wyoming during the summer of '63. Jack and Ennis connect closely on the mountain, and wind up becoming even closer during a night where numerous sips of the bottle are taken. Trying to convince themselves it was a one time thing, feelings become overwhelming, and an emotional and sexual relationship quickly brews.
But after the summer is over, the inevitable breeds contempt. Ennis returns home to his fiancée, Alma Beers (Williams), whom he has three children with, and Jack somewhat impulsively marries the beautiful rodeo rider, Lureen Newsome (Hathaway). This seems to be the lives many gay men endure. Fighting urges, resisting temptations, and gridlocking inhibitions and suppression, to live "the normal" lifestyle with a wife and kids eventually dying partially satisfied yet unfulfilled. Ennis was taught by his father that being gay was an absolute sin, and since then, he was forced to suppress his feelings and forcefully try to "straighten" himself out. It didn't happen.
While memories of the summer of '63 loom over their heads, Jack and Ennis try and live comfortable lives, yet still make an effort to see each other when they can. Some confrontations go rather smoothly, others have a contentious presence to them, and some result in punches. The men are saddened at their forced suppression for their feelings, but fear the pending backlash if they were to live the life they want would be crucial and possibly fatal to their happiness. It's a bitter world where intolerance is easier to abide by than acceptance, where turning a blind eye is easier than searching for the truth, and hate is easier to follow than the path of love. This is what makes Brokeback Mountain so hard to watch at times; when those points begin to circle through the viewer's head.
There's just one marginally sizable complaint I have with the film and it's the last twenty-five minutes. Inevitably, we know one will die, and in this case, it is Jack. His death is left purposely ambiguous, with Lureen saying he died from a tire that burst when trying to inflate it, and Ennis contemplates that he died from a hate crime. What a petty cliché, used in a film that certainly didn't need it. Romantic comedies that end with a straight romance always end the same way, with the guy and girl falling in love, but the one time we get a mainstream gay romance it ends with the death of one of the men and the feeling of emptiness sadly comes into the picture again. The message Brokeback sends out to people, hetero or homosexual, is basically "gays can live the life they want, but it will end with woeful calamity." Aside from the unfortunate path taken in the third act, this is a wonderful film. The photography and scenery of the rural Wyoming is masterfully shot, and probably some of the best cinematography from the last decade along with Road to Perdition. Not to mention, Ang Lee's stellar direction, again focusing on a wide range of shots, ranging from close-ups, to wide angle, to miraculous shots where the scenery becomes the main cast-member. Before taking on the director role for Brokeback, Lee directed Hulk, another film about an outsider looking in, which occupied an impeccable love for storytelling and depth, as well as heartbreaking and distant father/son relationships. The same goes for this film.
I have a feeling that many audiences will go in hazy about the idea of a film about two gay men falling in love, but emerge from it sympathetic and optimistic about the homosexual community. While this isn't a perfect excursion, it's a highly memorable one, complete with ecstatic performances, luscious landscapes, and some delightfully fitting music to a story so poignant yet satisfying.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams, and Anne Hathaway. Directed by: Ang Lee.