Brokeback Mountain
Rated: R
Even though I saw Brokeback Mountain several weeks ago, it’s been a film that has refused to vanish from my memory. In all honesty, it has stayed with me because of the film’s increasing popularity (on Tuesday, it was the highest grossing film in the country even though it was only playing on only 683 screens nationwide) and because of the awards powerhouse it looks like it will become (it won four Golden Globes on Monday, including Best Picture – Drama and it was nominated for the nine BAFTA awards). At this point, I would be pretty shocked if Brokeback didn’t win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.* So as it swirls around in my head, I wonder what makes this film so great? I know it’s not my favorite movie of the year, but it’s definitely in my top ten. In some ways it’s a watch-checker because it’s an admittedly slow film. But then again, no part of the film feels unnecessary or flabby to me. I don’t think there’s a scene which doesn’t add to the story. 
For those that have been living under the sea for the past month, (and you had to be because even Jesusland is loving this film), the story involves two cowboys, Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis del Mar (Heath Ledger), who fall in love over the summer of 1963 while working as shepherds on Brokeback Mountain. After taking the entire first act just to cover the events of that one summer and really get us into the heads of the characters, the film then chronicles the next twenty years of these two men’s lives. We see them meet attractive women (unsung heroes of the film Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway), marry them, have kids, and then reunite and carry on an affair which escalates but of course can never be anything more than a secret between them, restrained to the confines of Brokeback Mountain. And that’s where the film shows the tragedy between these two characters and the homosexuality becomes more than just a “gimmick” to sell the film. The film also doesn’t try to make these two men perfect or even 100% likable. We see how their wives silently suffer as the two go on “fishing trips” where it becomes easily apparent that fishing is not what these trips are about. We see the selfishness of their love and yet at the same time we can’t slight them because it’s a love that can never truly come to fruition. Their line of work forces them to live in a social environment that would never condone an open relationship between two men. It’s almost become a trademark of an Ang Lee film that the main characters never get what they want. Speaking of Lee, I certainly believe that he has crafted the best directed film this year. Every shot of this film could be a painting, and not just the landscape but the small, personal moments, like when Ennis silently weeps in an alley or when Jack goes into the darkness of Mexico one night. Lee manages to make each scene as rich as possible, making no moment in the film simply feel like filler. Gustavo Santaolalla’s score for the film is iconic, memorable, and moving. Brokeback Mountain is just a perfectly crafted film. Of course, as this film is all about character (as opposed to narrative development), a large burden falls on the shoulders of the two leading men. While I think Gyllenhaal does an excellent job, I believe that Ledger gives the more memorable performance of the two. I also have to take in the track records of these two men, with Gyllenhaal usually selecting strong material (October Sky, Donnie Darko) or at least successful material (The Day After Tomorrow) with his failures being mostly unnoticed (Bubble Boy). Ledger, on the other hand, has had a slightly rougher time. He became a hot new talent with 10 Things I Hate About You, The Patriot, and A Knight’s Tale, but then had a rough couple years with the failures of The Four Feathers, Ned Kelly, and The Order (or Sin Eater, for you Aussies and Europeans in the audience). But 2005 has been a spectacular year for Ledger. He has received acclaim for all four of his performances this year. I personally haven’t seen Lords of Dogtown or Casanova, but I know that he was easily the best part of the train wreck that was The Brothers Grimm. I do think that his role as Ennis del Mar will be one of the defining parts of his career. While Jack seems slightly more aware of his predilection towards men, the film implies that Ennis’ relationship with Jack is his first and only homosexual relationship. Watching the internal struggle of the taciturn del Mar is absolutely engrossing and were it not for Terrence Howard, who also had a killer 2005, especially with his performance in Hustle & Flow, Ledger would be easily be this year’s Best Actor with Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s work as Truman Capote being a distant second (I thought Hoffman was great, but I usually favor original characters over impersonations of popular, eccentric figures of the 20th century). I don’t know if Brokeback Mountain is the best film of 2005, but it has certainly earned every award bestowed upon it. If you appreciate romance and aren’t too immature to freak out at the sight of two guys kissing and having sex, then you shouldn’t miss this film. *Note From Future Matt: I'm still shocked, and also still infuriated that the Best Picture win went to Crash, or as I like to call it: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Racism. Words by |