A painful love story,period.

Rating: 9/10 (23 March 2006)

BY now,a lot has been written and said about this film. Having seen it somewhat recently and very attuned to the post-Oscar reaction since. I feel like weighing in just a little more.
This story of two herdsmen(Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal,perfectly affecting) who discover first an attraction,then love while herding sheep in the mountains of Wyoming over one summer,then proceed to carry out a relationship that stretches nearly two decades,has garnered a lot more controversy than really seems necessary. This movie is,pure and simple,a love story,played out with great difficulty and filmed very beautifully. Some very affecting supporting performances by Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway(going different directions:Williams as the hurting and deeply personalized wife of Ledger's Ennis,Hathaway as a flinty,single-minded and stubborn wife of Gyllenhaal's JAck) flesh out this film. Add on colorfully smart cinematography by Rodrigo Prietro and music score by Gustavo Santoaallalla(Sp?) and you have a very memorable film. Director Ang Lee can make you almost completely forget he directed The Hulk from this work(Heck,you might even not make the connection to seemingly non-related works as The Ice Storm or Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon!),which to me would be a basically good thing.
I've made my opinion as to the significance(or even lack of significance)that this film carries in regards to gays in film. Those who either want to laud this movie as groundbreaking(slight majority)to those who want to condemn it as promoting the gay agenda/lifestyle(a BIG misguided minority) can prattle on all they want. To me,this film is a scenic love story well made. Nothing more,nothing less.