Brokeback Mountain

Directed by: Ang Lee
4 stars

::spoiler alert - & not just for this film::

I didn’t cry when Jack sank in Titanic. I don’t generally root for the two schlobs to finally beat all odds and get together in movies, generally. I don’t like how movies often depict couples where one or both are in relationships & then both or the other are pursuing the other regardless. Not a fan of the cheating.

But maybe that has all changed. Well, not the disgust of cheating, that’s solid, but the crying & hoping couples get together.

That being said, this movie stuck with me. Set in the 1960’s, when homosexuality was even less acceptable than it is today, especially in the country, even the behind-the-back cheating seemed, well, a little more … understandable.

Heath Ledger (not my favorite actor by any stretch, although bring on The Dark Knight) & Jake Gyllenhaal (gaining momentum due to two solid films back to back & now full-fledged “He’s-My-Celebrity-Crush”) put in beautiful performances, each in his own right. Their passion wasn’t forced, their unique personalities slowly unfolded, their internal angst displayed only through glances and private, stolen moments.

I didn’t know what to expect during this movie & that was probably more of a treat than anything else, in a business where the “formula” works - shoot ‘em up blockbusters and sappy chick flicks rule. I didn’t know how they were going to work things out, if at all.

I cried. It was a beautiful story of love that could not express itself because of societal morays. It was an intriguing story of personal struggle and sacrifice. It was a compelling story of raw desire vs. reason.

It left me sad, it left me enraged, it left me thinking. For those who know me, you know I have my 24 hour rule: No talking about a movie until a full 24 hours after the credits roll. One of the many reasons is because I know that if a film sticks with me for a full day, it has stuck for good. If I’m still thinking about it a day later, with all the hustle & bustle of city life to distract me, it’s made an impression. & isn’t that what good movies should do?

This is a good movie.