Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Genre

Drama | Romance

Director

Ang Lee

Country

USA | Canada

Cast

Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Randy Quaid, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, Linda Cardellini, Anna Faris, David Harbour, Roberta Maxwell, Peter McRobbie, Kate Mara, Scott Michael Campbell, Graham Beckel

Storyline

The story of two young men - a ranch-hand (Heath Ledger) and a rodeo cowboy (Jake Gyllenhaal) - who meet in the summer of 1963 and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love.

Opinion

Eleven years later its release I finally watched the film that is supposed to portray one of the best romances ever, and finally it was a film that is really as good as people say.

"Brokeback Mountain" is a powerful, unforgettable, stunning, beautiful yet sad and heartbreaking piece of art.

The simple yet profound story of two people who meet, fall in love, but are unable to fulfill their love is utterly absorbing, and doesn't quite leave with when the film is over. It is the love story between two men that goes on for 30 years and does have a fair share of hitches, from suffering to helplessness, but the story goes beyond genres. Straight or gay doesn't really matter: it all is about simple and pure love.

I did like a lot the meaning of Brokeback Mountain. It is not just the movie title or the place where the two lovers meet, it is more of a state of mind, a place we all are looking for, where one can break free from inhibitions and truly be oneself. 

Kudos to director Ang Lee for the way he has dealt with such a delicate subject, and for showing how hard it was to be yourself in a place like that in times like those with such a tenderness and rawness, and unfortunately in such a realistic way.

Then there is the unforgettable score that suits the film perfectly and that, along with the imagery of the Wyoming landscape, conveys the loneliness of these two men.

And finally there's the cast, an extremely talented cast. Heath Ledger arguably gives his best performance as the leading character Ennis Del Mar, he inhabits the role with such a depth and manages to bring an amazing emotional charge to it without saying or doing much. Jake Gyllenhaal does a good job as well, but it's nothing compared to Ledger. Then there is the spectacular female supporting cast, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway and Linda Cardellini. Especially Williams, whose performance as Ennis's wife is truly heartbreaking.