Brokeback Mountain - 2005
Rating - 15
Director - Ang Lee
Written by - Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry
Based on the prose ‘Brokeback Mountain’ by - Annie Proulx
Starring - Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway
Run time - 134 minutes
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 LGBT romantic drama based on the short story by Annie Proulx of the same name. The movie, directed by Ang Lee, is set in the mountains of southern America (mainly Wyoming) over the course of 20 years. The story is about two cowboys, Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar - played by Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger - who work together herding sheep on the eponymous mountain in the summer of 1963. Over their time on the mountain, they become friends, and eventually, lovers. They go their separate ways at the end of the summer, getting married and starting families of their own over the following years, but meet up together at the mountain several times a year to hide their long distance relationship. The film goes over the highs and lows of their lives and how their secret relationship affects their families and that they’ll always be brought back together.
The film caused a lot of conversation and speculation on first release, being the first movie that big to portray a gay romance. Brokeback Mountain was nominated for 9 and won 3 Academy Awards (Oscars) including Best Director, Adapted Screenplay, and Original Score. There was a big controversy that Brokeback Mountain was snubbed for Best Picture by Crash, starring Sandra Bullock. The Hollywood Reporter polled Academy members on controversial past decisions in 2015, in which Brokeback Mountain won the revote for Best Picture. The movie was picked for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2018 for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”. A problem that some people have with the film is that the main characters are played by straight actors. Ledger and Gyllenhaal were actually good friends in real life and i think they manage to portray Ennis and Jack fantastically, while doing so with respect. This film has basically became the quintessential LGBTQIA+ movie and launched Queer Cinema into the mainstream media.
One of the great things about Brokeback Mountain is that it doesn't follow the typical camp stereotype gay characters are usually given in the media and shows that not all gay people are flamboyant or effeminate, and it also breaks the cowboy stereotype as well. This film is well deserving of the praise it gets and its, some would say, overrated-ness does not dim my opinion on this movie. The main romance portrayed is so tragic but wonderful at the same time. Gyllenhaal and Ledger are/were very talented actors and delivered career-defining performances in this film. One of the main underlying things that makes this movie so wonderful is the scenery. The landscape of the mountains and fields fit snugly with the story and set the scenes fantastically. I way prefer the movie to the original short story. The movie is more emotional, intimate, and detailed storywise. It’s a emotional rollercoaster which honestly portrays the struggles of being gay in a community and a time period that was so unaccepting of anyone who was. One thing I'd say for sure is that Brokeback Mountain is definitely deserving of the title: classic.
Score - 10/10
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