Um, Wow.

Rating: 9/10 (4 February 2006)

I went to this movie fully expecting to be disappointed. I tend to hate hate hate things that are over hyped, and this movie was so over hyped. But I went anyway, mostly to fulfill my role as the "family liberal", and I'm really glad I did. The movie, and I'm gonna sound like one of those stupid hype swilling people, but can't help it, was amazing. Finally, a movie in Hollywood about. . CHARACTERS!!! And people can go on and on about the pros or cons of homosexuality, but the plain and simple fact of life is that these things happen to people, and you can't hide true life just because you don't agree with it. And I think that was portrayed excellently in the film. The scenery, to start with, was gorgeous. Really wonderful shots. You really got a sense of the general BIGNESS of Wyoming and it's been since the LOTR movies, I think, that I've seen such a pretty film, in spots. I liked how beautiful the scenes on brokeback mountain were compared to the ugly dullness of life in town for Enis and in Texas for Jack. The acting was really fantastic. Some people are gonna hate Heath Ledger's performance because, for more than two/thirds of the film, it's incredibly subtle. He doesn't talk much, he hides his emotions, but you can see them, seething through, and THAT my friends is what makes a good performance, not leaping all around the screen. My particular favorite moment for him was after their first summer on Brokeback, when Jack drives away and he kind of collapses in an ally sobbing. Fantastic. Jake Gyllenhaal, whom I've loved in everything I've ever seen him in, does a really good job as Jack Twist, showing a lot of love and vulnerability underneath his bravado. Michelle Williams completely shocked me, and I think her performance may have been the best of the bunch. She just radiated betrayal, disappointment and controlled rage. Anne Hathaway had almost no screen time, and I wasn't fond of her character, but she did a good job, particularly in her last scene. The story, which is arguably the most important part of a film was just. . .so very very well done. I thought the relationship between the two men felt very authentic, as did their difficulty in coming to terms with what it meant. The only complaint I had was that the first time they touch each other, they suddenly have sex. There was buildup, but it didn't seem quite enough somehow. But I guess in film you have to get started somewhere, and maybe the suddenness of it was intentional. Beyond that one small complaint, however, I thought the relationship was handled beautifully. It was one of few movies I've seen lately where I actually cared about the characters. I wanted them to be happy, even though I knew they couldn't be. This does not happen often to me. Just to share,the three scenes that really hit me the most where (and here there be spoilers, friends) The last scene where Jack and Enis are together, after they fight and Enis kind of breaks down and they make up, there's this incredibly sweet flashback to their first summer on the mountain. It felt so natural and gentle and beautiful, and authentic, which, frankly, you don't get on film much. The scene where Alma freaks out on Enis during Christmas, saying she knows what was up with the two of them was very well handled, as well as Enis' violent denial of it. And the scene where Enis goes to Jack's parents house. The tension and everything unsaid in the kitchen was so authentic, and the scene with Jack's shirt in the closet kinda ripped me up. On a final note, about the controversy surrounding the film. . .there's in point of fact, much less sex than would generally be considered acceptable for a "Straight" film and so the concern about gratuitous sexuality is unfounded. Finally, I thought the subject matter was handled really well. You can't choose who you love, even if it wrecks your life. Jack and Enis where unable to act on their love for each other in an honest way, because of the society in which they lived, so they had to live a lie, for good or ill, because they needed each other. What ultimately happens to Jack, who was less able and less willing than Enis to conceal who and what he was, is a reminder of the ugliness of intolerance, but the movie doesn't preach at you. It doesn't scream "we're here and we're queer!" it basically just shows you two people very deeply in love, who really can't do a darn thing about it, even if they'd like to. "I wish I knew how to quit you" Jack says, and although Enis tells him to go ahead, ultimately, they know they never could. Love sucks like that, but it's also devastatingly beautiful, much like this movie.