Movie Review: Brokeback Mountain

Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) meet by chance in 1963, when they're hired for a two-man summer job driving and guarding a flock of sheep on Brokeback Mountain. It's a lonely job, but these are lonely men who own little and expect less. They're wary at first, as they work out a routine and settle into their work, but slowly start trusting each other. They both seem to need a deeper companionship than the outside world has provided them, and late in the summer, with the help of a little whiskey, their feelings of trust and need and loneliness and anger and desire finally explode into most sudden and urgent sex.

The morning after. Both are shocked, clearly scared. Their first words are to agree it's a one-time thing, but they quickly dismiss that and surrender to their growing love for the remainder of the summer. There are moments where Ennis' frustration can't be contained: he wants Jack, but he doesn't want to want him, and roughhousing turns to punching and then to a tight embrace. When they part at the end of the season, there is longing in the possibility that they'll meet there again next year.

This is mostly Ennis' story. He marries his girlfriend Alma (Michelle Williams) a couple of months later, and quickly has two daughters. He doesn't come back to try and work Brokeback Mountain the next summer. Ennis can't shake his feelings for Jack, but works hard to suppress them and be what Alma and the rest of his world expects. He's unhappy and poor, and has no expectation that either of those things will improve. But four years after their summer on the mountain, Ennis gets a postcard from Jack.

And so begins a new routine: Jack drives up from Texas several times yearly for "fishing trips" with Ennis in Wyoming. By this time Jack is married with a son, making a good living working for his wife's awful father but clearly living for these times with Ennis. These are very tender scenes that show them just being together, happy in a way neither one can be at home. Both men look forward to these trips, where they can be completely alone and themselves, not worrying about suppressing their feelings or hiding their secret. But Alma knows. Ennis doesn't know she knows. He never brings home any fish.

As the years pass, Jack and Ennis struggle with longing, separation, and secrecy. They handle these things differently. Jack seems to have reached a certain detente with his wife, but goes to Mexico to pick up male prostitutes. Ennis drinks and fights and gets divorced. Jack dreams that they can build a life together, maybe start a ranch. Ennis knows better; he knows they can't really be together, not ever in the way Jack wants, and that makes every thought of Jack hurt him deeply.

None of Heath Ledger's previous work gave any indication that he could perform so well in a subtle character study like this. Wow, was he good, although the marble-mouthed accent he used made him sound like the love child of Johnny Cash and Billy Bob Thornton's character from Sling Blade. He really carried this film and I'd be happy to see at least a Best Actor Oscar nomination for him, if not a win. Jake Gyllenhaal did well with Jack's wide-eyed idealism and unabashed emotions. (And he's hot. Mmm.) Also worth noting is Michelle Williams as Alma, whose face was the absolute picture of heartbreak, and I hope to see a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nom for her.

Ang Lee's direction must have been really hands-off, because the pace was so unhurried, especially for the scenes with Ennis. We really felt the pressure of moments where his heart was pounding but he wasn't saying a word. And it looked gorgeous, thanks to the wonderful mountain scenery and some patient wide-angle shots that allowed us to enjoy it.

It would be unfortunate if this became known only as the Gay Cowboy Movie, because Brokeback Mountain is really a love story of the same equation as countless others: for one reason or another, true and deep love cannot always overcome its circumstance. There's a scene where Ennis recalls to Jack two older men who lived on a ranch together when he was a kid. One of them was found dead, horribly mutilated, and Ennis' father made sure he saw it—Ennis says, "For all I know, he did it." There's no mistaking the message. The fear from that childhood experience still haunts Ennis, as he knows that could still happen if he and Jack were ever found out.

I wonder how much of the barrier between these two men and their happiness is due to the setting of the story in both time and place. Have we come a long way since then? I'm not sure we have. Some people will surely be put off from seeing this movie just by the fact that it's about two men, but it will be their loss. It's a good story.

I had heard that Brokeback Mountain was quite graphic in its sex scenes between the two men, but I didn't think so at all. I think with about seven seconds of cuts, mostly of topless shots of Ennis and Jack's wives, the whole movie could be shown on network TV. (That is, if network TV would be brave enough to show this movie, which would surprise me.)

Also worth noting: this was our first time in the new Landmark Keystone Art Cinema, and I thought it was very nice. The screen was huge! I liked that the seats recline just a little bit, and have plenty of leg room, even for someone tall. I also liked that it featured blue (lights, upholstery, etc.) instead of the usual movie-theater red. I didn't get anything from the bar (you can take your drinks into the theater), but will definitely take advantage of that at some point. And parking in the garage on the 3rd level made it a quick walk from my car to the lobby.

Brokeback Mountain: