A Universal Story of Love and Pain

Rating: 9/10 (19 June 2011)

Brokeback Mountain is a story of universal love and pain. Jake Gyllenhaal as Jack Twist and Heath Ledger as Ennis Del Mar, play two individuals who fall unexpectedly in love. The time is 1963 Wyoming, and this film shows us that love can live against all odds. Both men know that they aren't going to be able to be together anywhere but on Brokeback. The mountain then becomes a symbol of what they share together and the love that they hold for each other. It separates them from the plains that stand to represent the resentment and hatred that they fear.
When Ennis was young, his father showed him the dead body of a farmer who was suspected of being gay, and was told of the terrible things that were done to him. This stuck with him. Since he never strayed far from home, he is unable to break away from his upbringing and the conservatism. Jack, on the other hand, travels to Mexico and suggests this alternative to Ennis. Regardless of the situation, Jack and Ennis are unable to give up on this love they have for each other. As Jack tells Ennis after a fight "I wish I knew how to quit you." The movie is similar to Titanic in its theme. Being from different social classes, the two main characters must sneak around together, but ultimately, their love survives through all odds. The part of Brokeback Mountain that makes it so great is that the characters represent more than just two men in love. They symbolize any kind of forbidden love, whether it be two people of different ethnicities, two different social statuses, two different religions, or in this case, two individuals of the same sex.
The editing of the film shows a lot of outside/in and inside/out transitions. When the men are on Brokeback, the camera shows you the vast mountainside, and then zooms in to the more specific action that is going on. This allows you to feel how desolate and secluded they are. This sense of safety and freedom allows them to comfortably act on their love and emotion that they would not be able to do outside in conservative 1963 Wyoming.
This film will be one to be shared for generations to come. Heath Ledger's performance was not only compelling and powerful; it broke a new topic onto the main screen and showed you about true love and how powerful that can be.