"That's a nice-a donut."

Monday, January 16, 2006

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain (or "that gay cowboy movie" as some have referred to it) is sort of an upside-down Western. In the pristine land of manly Marlboro Men of 1963 Wyoming, two young men - one a ranch hand who works odd jobs, the other a rodeo cowboy - somehow fall in love against all odds. And with this very forbidden act, the course of their lives is altered forever as they endure years of heartache, in exchange for short weeks of happiness.

Heath Ledger is Ennis Del Mar, the ranch hand, a quiet, inward mumbly man who, when he is riding a horse, driving his beat-up pickup truck, shooting moose, or just smoking and drinking, looks and sounds very much like your prototypical roughneck western man. Jake Gyllenhaal is Jack Twist, the rodeo cowboy, a brash and hopeful dreamer who fits the cowboy part, but could easily have been something else if he grew up somewhere different. They meet one summer on a job herding and guarding sheep on Brokeback Mountain. One thing leads to another, but they go their separate ways when the job ends. After a few years they finally see one another again, and begin to make a habit of it, though the only communication is through postcards in the mail. A key outcome for one of the characters is left up in the air - did something happen this way, or the other way? Leaving this destiny up to the viewer's imagination is something which the wild dreamer Jack Twist would certainly approve of.

The movie manages to be nostalgic, deeply tragic, and naively optimistic at the same time. The actors and film crew make it seem just as natural and basic as any old-fashioned love story - well, as natural as one where there is no harboring of deep secrets from other people, of course. We feel the pain of Ennis and Jack as they yearn for one another. Though at the same time, we also hurt for the girlfriends, wives, and family who are caught unknowingly in their path. And on that note, Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway both give very strong performances as Ennis and Jack's wives, respectively.

Some of the scenes in the second half of the film feel sort of scattershot or piecemeal. For example, not long after the fateful summer in the beginning, Ennis and his wife are seen spending time together. Then, in the next instant, there are two children - with no indication that any time had passed - so you are left to wonder if (a) some time had passed, or (b) if the children were there to begin with. Beyond this, the cavalier approach works as the second half is generally a collection of antidotes that eventually come together and form a clear picture of the relationships between these two star-crossed lovers.

Would it have been made if it were just about a man and a woman in 1963 Wyoming? Well, maybe, and of course it could still have been quite good. But it would have lost the true impact of the secretive and scandalous relationship. It's one thing to have people committing adultery and falling in love. It's something else entirely when the whole of society would be against it. And in the sacred Western? What would John Wayne think?

Given that homosexuality has been on the forefront of religious, political, and legal headlines in recent years, there may be a tendency to think that all of the hype surrounding the movie is simply feel-good left-wing guilt or pride. It's not. It's genuinely a very good movie and, to its credit, never even delves into any religious or political motives. What Ennis and Jake have is simply something very different, in a different era. Ang Lee, who was such a hot director years ago and peaked with 2000 multi-award winner Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon before falling hard with Hulk, is back. Without a doubt, he is in the upper echelon of directors of love stories and romances. The movie is sure to be a strong contender (and deservedly so) for a host of Oscar categories including picture, director, actor, supporting actress, cinematography, editing, costume design, adapted screenplay, and perhaps even original score.

The Verdict: A.

Michael Bentley 4:02 PM

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