Brokeback is Groundbreaking

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2005)

I am ruthlessly critical of movies about gay men that fail to render us in complete creative ways. This is especially true about movies written by heterosexuals starring heterosexual actors. So take it seriously when I say that I believe Brokeback Mountain is, surprisingly the most complex, nuanced, and intelligent representation of gay masculinity yet delivered by the film industry. Heath Ledger got the Golden Gloe nomination, but my favorite is Jake Gyllenhall who deserves an Oscar for his intensely sensitive, genuine portrayal of the hopeful Jack Twist. Gyllenhall communicates Twist's sexy, seductive optimism without reducing him to a lustful nit-wit. The film is excellent at showing us things rather than beating us over the head with sensitive dialog. Gyllenhall's motto should be the famous lines uttered by Norma Desomond in Sunset Boulevard: "We didn't need voices we had face." Norma was bemoaning the rise of the talkies, but Gyllenhall should be celebrated for his ability to show the face of exhilarating love and absolute, existential disappointment in quick succession.
The characters are conflicted about the pressures of the world they live in, but confident in their love for one another. The tension this produces is simultaneously inspiring and heartbreaking. The film is smartly literary, but as a Ph.D. in English I only started mulling the allusions and metaphors after I left the theater, so I conclude that it is rich with meaning, without beating you over the head with its own cleverness.