Unexpectedly important

Rating: 8/10 (13 February 2008)

I resisted watching this film for a long time. The media hype it received over what I perceived to be hackneyed subject matter was off-putting and the raving over two young actors acting out a forbidden love story was something I felt I could do without.
I'm somewhat ashamed to say the death of Heath Ledger is what forced me to take the plunge. I had to see what all the fuss was about. Still, I approached it with trepidation, haunted by phrases such as "the most important film for years" which seem to be applied to anything that can be construed as left wing these days.
Thie first 30 minutes or so left me uncomfortable. I guess, like many people, I was afraid of the graphic portrayal of the two men's relationship and didn't know how I would react to the first signs of it. And yes, I did find it tough to start with. But I soon realised that the reason for that was due to the characters I was watching, and the fact that neither knew how or why it was happening, and would never have considered this kind of union in their normal lives. Ledger's character, particularly, is a massively introverted and silent soul who cannot process the feelings that the relationship generates.
The rest of the film is simply a study of isolation and deeply-stored feelings that are universally understandable. I had been concerned, prior to seeing the film, that its premise would be absurd and there would be an impossible depiction of two queens living it up in secret amongst dour cattlemen. But what the film portrays is far more real, a confused mesh of feelings and hopes, and the fierce and brutal opposition to it that lurks continuously.
So having seen it, I can agree that this film is important. It's important because it doesn't particularly say one thing or another. It's not a wail against homophobia, it's not staunchly against the social politics of the American South, it's not a protest for freedom and understanding. It's just a story. And a brilliantly delivered one at that.
RIP Heath Ledger.