Brokeback Mountain

So this is what passes for controversy these days? A sad little film about two people who find each other, make a passionate connection, fall in love, and find themselves unable to be together due to the prevailing social mores? The controversial part is that the two protagonists are male and, further, they are cowboys, and therefore threaten the rugged male archetypes that cowboys represent. It is a sad reflection on the sociopolitical climate that a quiet, tender, moving drama like Brokeback Mountain becomes daring and controversial. Back in the last Hollywood golden age of the ’70s this film would have been quaint, almost old-fashioned; now, over 20 years later, it is contentious. Has our culture been that beaten down by right-wing conservatism draped in the mock-sheep’s clothing of religion?


All that aside. Though Ang Lee may seem to be a strange choice as director, there is a connecting line to this picture, through Sense and Sensibility and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the connective tissue being the theme of lovers being kept apart by the traditions and cultural barriers of their respective societies. The tragedy with Brokeback Mountain is that the two protagonists, Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis (Heath Ledger), find themselves unable or unwilling to break down those barriers. They meet when they are hired to watch over a herd of sheep on the titular edifice, and begin an affair, then return to their respective lives to marry and start families. But the shadow of Brokeback Mountain, representing their connection and their love, haunts them and they spend many years returning to the wilderness together for week-long trips, desperate to keep their relationship alive but at a loss as to how to deal with it.

The film is somber, almost muted in tone. Ang Lee directs with a quiet, effective subtlety, generally avoiding preachiness and big, Oscar-baiting dramatic moments. He is helped considerably by two superb lead performances and a screenplay with an impressive literary pedigree. Gyllenhaal and Ledger create complex, believable characters, particularly Ledger who is genuinely excellent. The screenplay is by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, based on a short story by Annie Proulx. McMurtry is best known for writing Lonesome Dove. The only major flaw in the film is the shallow, forgettable characterizations of the women in Jack and Ennis’ lives. All they have to do in the film is react and little else; as characters in the drama they are disposable.

In addition to the ‘controversy’ of the main characters being gay, the other main reason the film has attracted attention is the scenery. Filmed in southern Alberta, not far from where I live, the landscapes are indeed breathtaking, but in all honesty if someone gave me a film camera I could probably capture scenery just as beautiful. The scenery and the homosexual angle are really besides the point. See this film for what it is: a beautiful and melancholy meditation on the walls that we collectively erect to keep us apart from the ones we love.