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Printer-Friendly ModeBrokeback shows it's deserving of nominations
February 6, 2006 —
Brokeback Mountain is a powerful drama set in 1960s and 70s Wyoming. Two men secure a summer job sheepherding in the mountainous region and find themselves in an unlikely romantic relationship. This leads to them each living difficult lives which are full of moments of great joy and great sorrow, all of which are captured fantastically in this great work directed by Ang Lee.
Much has been made of the supposed ramifications of this movie. One group is saying, "I can't believe they are making a movie about homosexuals, this is horrible!" while another side is saying, "They're finally making a movie about homosexuals - wonderful!" These sentiments are offset by those who feel there are more important things to worry about than what the subject matter of one film is.
That said, Brokeback Mountain is one of the best films thus far of the year, a success on every level. Heath Ledger plays Ennis Del Mar, a ranch hand who is engaged at the start of the movie, while Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jack Twist, a rodeo cowboy. Gyllenhaal has had quite a year with his excellent leading performance in Jarhead, and now this. These two characters are the foundation and center of the story, and the success of the movie depends on the strength of their performances.
Fortunately, Gyllenhaal has shown his ability time and again, and Heath Ledger has pulled off the best performance I've seen in quite some time. This is a far cry from Ledger's performances in such movies as A Knight's Tale. The accent and change of voice he takes on for this role causes the audience to forget the actor they are looking at, and think only of the character, certainly a sign of a great performance. Both Ledger and Gyllenhaal do an excellent job, although Ledger steals the show. They both show restraint when it is needed and are bold when needed.
This is a statement that can be extended to the rest of the movie. It is calm and relatively uneventful at times, building up to climactic moments, ebbing and flowing, and it is so convincing that interest is never lost. Ang Lee, who also directed Hulk and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, shows with this film that he can successfully portray emotion and drama with great resonance, even more so than action. The action here, save for a few abrupt and brief moments of violence, is almost all internal. Lee realizes that sometimes more can be shown with a look than with an onscreen argument or soliloquy, and more can sometimes be shown with a shot of countryside than with a narrator explaining everything to us.
This film is about much more than a gay relationship. It covers a wide spectrum of ideas and issues and never falls into the trap of having a narrator, handwritten letter, or even one of the characters explain itself. It doesn't give the impression that it is meant to teach a lesson. Rather, we are allowed to simply observe as these characters journey through life and go through trials and tribulations, some of which we all have gone through, some of which we may not be able to relate to.
Through it all, due to the powerful writing, directing, acting, and story, the audience will feel something. In a time when many films are empty or mindless, promoting an apathetic and numb audience, Brokeback Mountain is certainly a diamond in the rough.