Better to have love and lost?

Rating: 10/10 (8 January 2006)

Watched Brokeback last night after looking forward to it for weeks... and it was definitely all I hoped it would be.
Ang Lee manages to approach this sensitive subject with a masters touch. The film could have gone wrong in so many places but Ang Lee manages to hold it all together. The inevitable first sexual encounter between Ennis and Jack being case and point. At all times the relationship looks and more importantly feels authentic. I never doubted that the two were really meant to be together. The natural beauty, relatively slow pace and excellent soundtrack of the film further serve to highlight the almost unbearable situation Ennis and Jack find themselves.
The performances by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhal don't fail to convince (although some accent slips did occur) and the supporting cast is excellent. Found Michelle Williams' portrayal of the Ennis' wife particularly impressive.
The film highlights the destructive power of having to hide your true nature to fit into the norms of society. This is particularly relevant in the current climate of the repression in so many countries and is equally relevant in issues other than sexual orientation. I wouldn't think any person watching the film with an open mind can come out not realising the love in a single sex relationship is just as real and valid as in a heterosexual one, this can only be a good thing.
I don't expect the subject matter will allow the film to get its just rewards at the box office but it is a must see. If not for poignant story then for the shear beauty of the work. I don't often hand out a score of 10 and I could find reasons to drop a mark but for the shear mastery of this love story I must give the maximum.