Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Wonderful character development!

Captivating movie !

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I love this movie. Both actors made an outstanding performance, but i would like to remark how moving and touching Heath Ledger's character is. He was able to show fear and passion for his secret couple at the same time. Amazing work!

"Brokeback Mountain" is an American movie mostly in the English language and this one was released back in 2005 when it dominated large parts of the awards season. I don't want to go into detail now if I think that it deserved the Best Picture Oscar more than Crash or not, but I believe both are extraordinary films really, so it was a win-win situation and Munich, another nominee, is at least as good. But back to this one here. It won Oscars though for its direction (gotta love Ang Lee), its music and its screenplay and I had the chance to watch Brokeback Mountain on the big screen last night again on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Heath Ledger's death. A sad tribute this is. The film runs for 2 hours 15 minutes, so very long, but it never drags one bit I must say. A lot of that has to do with the previously mentioned Ledger, who gives one of the best performances of the decade and what a year for Best Actor this was with the winner now also dead way too early. Anyway, Ledger is really hitting all the right notes here from satrt to finish in a truly masterful performance. His co-lead Jake Gyllenhaal (obviously not supporting) has 2 or 3 misses in it I would say and that may be the reason why he "only" won the BAFTA and came short at the Oscars in a year that had a wide open race for Best Supporting Actor. Also in it are Michelle Williams, another nominee, and Anne Hathaway as well as a few others. The two ladies I just mentioned also have great moments. For Hathaway, that would be the phone scene at the very end of course and for Williams, there are several like for example the fishing rod note scene or also the scene when she sees the two men kissing outside the house. There is that moment when she begs her husband to get her some cigarettes just to have him do something for her, but there is no way he would do anything when going out with his lover and it becomes painfully obvious for Williams' character, not that she cared about the cigarettes or anything. This was just a tiny moment, but these tiny moments are what makes the film so great because there is so so much attention to detail in this one that it is simply a joy to watch. You will recognize these moments yourself whenever you see the film (again). And it certainly is an irony that Hathaway is the only one who managed to win an Oscar in her lifetime from the castg here, the only one from the 4 romantic key players not nominated for BBM.I think with the huge quantity of gay-themed movies out there these days that all of these filmmakers can learn so much from Lee here. The key to the film's success is that the movie almost never relied one bit on the fact that it was a relationship between two men. There is the scene with the flashback to Ledger's character's youth, but that is one of very few exceptions, even if it becomes crucial near the very end again when we wonder together with Ledger's character to what extent Gyllenhaal's character's death may have been dubious or really just an accident. We only know what he knows and that is true for almost the entire film. We find out about the death the moment he does when the letter comes back. We find out what happens during the phone call near the very end. And admittedly this death was so abrupt and I really liked it. This can happen absolutely out of nowhere and this film should inspire us to cherish our loved ones or to get active in winning over ourt future loved ones with the little time we are given to do so. Just like Ledger's character did not take the risk to live with another man together on a ranch for decades and he cannot turn back time when it is all over. And there certainly is some tragedy to the fact that Gyllenhaal's character died the way he died working for his wife and would not have when he had lived with his great love. And then there is some great emotion in this one like the ashes scene at the very end or the crying during their last meeting from Ledger's character. Here and there, there is also some situational comedy like the talking (or lack thereof) by Ledger's character. On a side-note, you will find familiar faces here and there and I really did not remember Kate Mara to be a part of this. Or David Harbour from Stranger Things. Or Anna Faris. Quite a few surprises. This is a really amazing movies, close to perfection technically and extremely elevated by the mesmerizing lead performance, the really convincing script and Ang Lee's vision. I very much enjoy Joaquin Phoneix in Walk the Line as I am a huge Johnny Cash fan, but even I find it difficult to argue against Ledger's turn in here being top of the pile from 2005. What else can I say? If you still have not seen this movie yet, then you really really really need to change that. This was the second or third time I watched it as a whole, first time on the big screen and it is still so rewarding to watch this one. It all feels so real, never just as if the film or certain scenes only existed to make a political statement pro tolerance and pro homosexuality. It's all about the story and the message comes from itself, but it's not like the film exists only for the message and has nothing else to offer, which is so frequently a problem with gay movies. This one here's an absolute thing of beauty, without a doubt one of 2005's very finest and I highly recommend checking it out.

It may now be 12 years old, but Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, based on the short story by Annie Proulx, is still more relevant than ever. At the time of its release, the debate around gay marriage was raging, and continued to do so in the subsequent years. Thankfully, same-sex marriage is now practised in many countries across the world, although it would still be deemed a crime and a sin elsewhere. But anyone who thinks that the themes explored in the film only relate to a relationship between two gay men or women have profoundly missed the point. The story applies to the love between any two people which may be considered taboo, or just plain wrong in society's eyes, whether this be for religious, political or sexual reasons, and this is something that will continue to be a talking point for many years to come.Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) are two down-on-their-luck young cowboys in 1963 Wyoming. They arrive at Brokeback Mountain looking for work, and are hired by the bigoted Joe Aguirre (Randy Quaid) to herd sheep over the summer months. The work is hard and dangerous, and the pair spend most nights winding down passing a bottle of whiskey. After one particularly heavy night of drinking, Jack makes a move on Ennis and the two make passionate, almost violent love. Aware of society's attitudes towards gay men, the two agree that their relationship must be kept secret and their feelings locked away, and they part ways determined to forget the experience. They both marry (their wives are played by Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway) and have children in the following years, but neither can forget the time spend together on the mountain.Ang Lee's primary focus has always been on character. Even his worst film, the superhero misfire Hulk, spent far more (most would say too much) time concentrating on the human side of its lead instead his angry, green alter-ego. Following Ennis and Jack over the course of a couple of decades, we experience Ennis' inner turmoil and Jack's complete frustration, with the latter's anger stemming from both society's refusal to let them be who they want to be, and Ennis' dismissing of Jack's idea to buy a ranch with him so they can live out their days together. Jack is more accepting of his own sexuality, occasionally attempting pick-ups in bars and often forced to pay prostitutes in dingy alleys. Haunted by an experience with his father as a child, Ennis is in a constant battle with himself. Angry at the discrimination he would face were he display his true emotions in public, and possibly disgusted at himself for possessing such feelings, he stoically drinks and smokes his nights away after his marriage falls apart.The script, by Larry McMurty and Diana Ossana, refuses to over- simplify the characters and force labels on them. It isn't entirely clearly whether the two men are homosexual, bisexual or even heterosexual, as their relationship is built on something far more transcendent. It's one of the many reasons why the film shouldn't be remembered as that 'gay cowboy movie'. Ledger and Gyllenhaal are both terrific, and received Academy Award nominations for their efforts. Ledger is undoubtedly the standout as the buttoned-up, tight-lipped tough guy repressing a range of emotions he doesn't full understand behind his incredibly sad eyes. Tragically, he wouldn't completely shake off his pretty boy image until three years later - the year of his death - after The Dark Knight. It is a film that will no doubt resonate with most people whose feelings fall outside of what society considers the 'norm', and will continue to do so for many years to come. On top of that, Brokeback Mountain is simply a beautiful piece of cinema, with one of the most heart- breaking final scenes ever filmed

Part of the major appeal to this movie is the majestic setting, the rugged mountains and wilderness. This played a defining role in the first part of the movie, when the central characters established their lifelong bond. The other appeal were the two fine actors who played the gay cowboys. I was drawn most to Jake, the dark haired, blue eyed, baby faced actor. Whenever the camera lit upon his eyes and face, it was easy to fall in love. Both actors depicted masculine, young, impoverished, rural men who were trying to find ways to eek out a living. They smoked a lot, ate a lot of beans and drank moonshine in their coffee. On camera, they did everything typical cowboys might do except burp and fart incessantly. I suppose underneath it all, they were true gentlemen. The director did a good job at convincing the viewer that these men were indeed gay, but were forced to assume a straight lifestyle due to immense societal pressure. Bisexual men, for instance, in those circumstances, probably would never have kissed so tenderly or established the lifelong intense bond these characters had. If it's just about sexual release or getting off, kissing and longevity are the first to be dismissed. In any case, the ending was somewhat disappointing because Ennis never evolved. He never overcame his paralysis about being gay and in love with another man. He was going to live ashamed and concealed for the rest of his life - this, despite it being the early 1980s, when gay culture had already evolved substantially.