Cast: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway.
I decided to watch Brokeback Mountain after reading a review on MouthShut, and boy, am I glad I did.
This epic, award-winning movie about two cowboys who fall in love has been widely tipped for Oscar success. And the acclaim is well deserved - despite the film’s controversial theme.
Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) meet in 1963 on Brokeback Mountain in Wyoming after they’re hired to herd sheep for the summer. The conditions are harsh and the two soon become independent on each other. One night, Jack invites the deeply reserved Ennis to come into his tent out of the cold and one thing leads to another...
The next day, the macho men are in denial, both insisting that they’re not ’queer’ and agreeing to keep it a secret between them. But their relationship deepens and flourishes over the years, even though they both marry and start families. They maintain their love affair by meeting on Brokeback Mountain, but Jack’s wife (Anne Hathaway of The Princess Diaries) becomes increasingly suspicious of these ’fishing trips’.
Not everyone will be comfortable with the idea of cowboys kissing (infact every straight male), but director Ang Lee (who made Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) handles the issue sensitively and sensationalise the film’s limited sex scenes. A heart-breaking tale with stunning visuals and an incredible performance from Ledger as the buttoned-up cowboy imprisoned by forbidden love.
The sweeping vistas reflect the beauty and heartbreak of a tortured love affair and, without pat sentimentality, Lee builds to a stirring finale.