Brilliant, Moving, Original

Rating: 10/10 (27 January 2007)

Brokeback Mountain has to be my favourite film around right now. Where can I start to explain why? Firstly, the acting - especially by Heath Ledger - was excellent. Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger play the main two characters and, despite being rather good looking, are most certainly not just "pretty boys". This is established even in the first scene as, before any words are even said, you can almost tell that you are in for a treat. The more minor characters, especially Alma (played by Michelle Williams) and Alma Junior (played by Kate Mara) are important and also brilliantly portrayed.
The storyline, based on a short story by Annie Proulx is original and brilliant. Despite being described as a "gay cowboy movie", the film is not about sex, but about love & society. One thing which struck me most about this film was the two main characters totally different reactions to their "situation". The interplay between the characters is brilliant, although not so many words are spoken - especially by the character of Ennis.
I am not going to ramble on about how everyone should see this film because it is about gays - see the film if you want to, but don't necessarily see it because it is a "Gay cowboy film" - and certainly don't use this as a reason NOT to see it. This film does show how homosexuals were treated in the past, and shows a lot of social issues and things like that. However, see this film for the great acting, storyline and scenery - if you get a little something extra out of it (as many have) then that is fantastic, but even so this film is brilliant. A must see!