Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain was the best movie I saw last year.
In talking about this movie, I know that I’m not going to convince you to go see it if you are offended by the subject matter. You may be surprised that I would go see it, and now you’ve decided that you’re never going to read this site again because I’m obviously on a crusade against Jesus.
Well, I’m not. I just believe in tolerance and acceptance. I also believe that everyone has the right to find love and be happy, and that it’s not really any of your business.
I can think of a lot of ways to describe Brokeback Mountain, but most of them seem overly simplistic. It’s a love story. It is subtle, and real, and heartbreaking. It could be about any two people that because of time and place are unable to be together. But it’s not. And that makes it different, and also hated. And maybe feared.
The movie is beautifully filmed, and remarkably quiet. Scenes often take place with few words, but with sharp dialogue. Michelle Williams plays Heath Ledger’s wife, and has a scene near the end that by itself probably resulted in her Golden Globe nomination. Both lead actors were well cast, but Heath Ledger’s performance stands out in particular. He creates a character as real as any I have ever seen on film. If you are unaffected by his last few moments on screen, then perhaps your heart is made of stone.
I’ve read that the target audience for the movie is women and gay men. And judging by the people at the theater when I saw it, that’s probably true. But that’s a shame. It isn’t a gay movie, and it certainly isn’t “that gay cowboy movie”. It’s a story about people, just like you and me. Most of us want the same things in life. To be happy, to be loved, to be understood. To be accepted for who we are.
