Profound, cathartic, important

Rating: 10/10 (2 March 2014)

This is a beautiful, simple film about a lifelong romance between two closeted men raised in a homophobic culture. Yes, it's a movie about coming out of the closet and about homophobia, but more importantly it's a movie about finding true love and being true to your feelings.
The morning after their passion erupts, they tell each other they're not gay. The second night, they embrace once again and accept what they are. This is the true coming out. No, it's not just about sex.
It is crucial that this movie was shot in God's country, and the love that burst through here occurred between two attractive, masculine men in the prime of their lives. Gay love is everywhere and it will always find its way out.
All relationships are different. The story of what happened to Ennis and Jack is particular to them and not true for all gay men. Both of them were unable to complete the process properly (after all, it was 1963), but Ennis in particular was almost crippled by his mental blocks and social constructs. His closet became of his own making. Thankfully most in the West now don't have so much difficulty with it.
What rang true in the movie were the powerful and painful experiences of coming out, finding love and fighting prejudice. It's unbearably sad that self-hatred and homophobia have choked so many millions of people from leading fulfilling lives. In a sense, this movie is a clarion call for perhaps the greatest liberation movement in modern times.
This movie said to me: all the sh*t you put up with, all the things you missed out on, all the difficulties and disappointments -- it was worth it because what matters most is Brokeback Mountain.
This movie touched me deeply. The second time I saw it, the ending was so moving to me that I started weepinguncontrollably. I kept crying during my walk home from the theatre. The floodgates really burst when I finally got home. How do you explain that? Catharsis? I still don't understand why this movie had this effect on me. No movie has ever done that to me before or since.
The final scene with Ennis and Jack's jacket ("Jack, I swear...") is the most powerful image of lost love ever put on film. Heath, thank you.
Not all gay stories are sad. Many gay men live happy, joyous lives without regret or trauma. For many of us, Ennis and Jack make it work.
How can I rate this movie anything less than 10? Thank you Annie, Ang, Larry and Diana. And perhaps most of all, thank you Jake.