Heartbreaking, gut-wrenching about how lonely life can be when you can't be true to your own nature

Rating: 9/10 (21 November 2005)

When I saw Brokeback Mountain last night at the Oslo International Film Festival, I was perhaps a bit over the top desirous and eager to see it, as I had recently read the short story by Annie Proulx which I had replayed over and over in my head. Thus, I was somewhat numb throughout the whole screening, and it wasn't before after I had returned home and lay sleepless through half of the night with an unfamiliar tummy ache that I realized the profound effect the movie had actually made on me.
This understated and heavenly beautiful movie directed by Ang Lee tells the story about a love that finds its wrong time and place in society. It is 1963 and two young ranch hands spend a lonesome summer herding sheep up on Brokeback Mountain, where they inevitably fall in love. However, they are unable and unwilling to recognize their relationship for what it is, leading their lives into misery. The film moves in a slow and chronological pace, telling an utterly realistic story about utterly realistic human beings. The dialog is never superfluous, making every second of it loaded with significance. The imagery of the Wyoming landscape and the sparse music score conveys the huge loneliness of these two men. However, as much the movie is lonely and quiet, it is full of emotional tension.
The story is above all conveyed through the brilliant acting of the two main characters. There is perfect chemistry between Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. Ledger portrays the hesitant and reserved Ennis del Mar. Gyllenhaal portrays the hopeful and daring Jack Twist, who is open about his desires and willing to take his risks to be with the one he loves. They complement each other and bring each other's character to perfection in a graceful and touching manner. Watching them act together is one of the wonders of the world. Body language, subtle glances and facial expressions tell their own story. We get close to the protagonists and we can feel their pain.
What is most painful is the characters' inability to deal with their relationship Â– not even to define it. They know what they feel, but societal norms, their upbringing and all they have experienced thus far in life has taught them that 'this thing' cannot exist. They are both uneducated and come from broken homes and they simply do not have the reference frame to acknowledge what is going on. Their words are few, and they never mention their feelings nor do utter words such as 'sex', 'love' or 'relationship'. Instead, they constantly refer to their relationship as 'this thing'. On the other hand, through their actions and body language it is impossible to be mistaken about their true feelings. It is also impossible to be mistaken about the fleeting moments of true bliss and peace they find in each other's company during their short 'fishing trips' throughout the years. Not to speak of the lifetimes of misery they and the people around them experience all the while the two of them are trying unsuccessfully to lead normal family lives.
The movie stays with you. And you want to stay in it, however painful it is.