Brokeback Mountain
Reviewed by Sarah Downing

You can always tell when the Oscars are on the horizon because suddenly film lovers are spoilt for choice, with a wide range of excellent movies to choose from. Well, it’s that time of year again and Ang Lee’s offering, Brokeback Mountain, is certain to be a main contender at this year’s awards.

This movie is a love story of epic proportions, as it tells a heartbreaking tale about the pain caused by suppressing overwhelming passion and desire.
Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis del Mar (Heath Ledger) first meet as 19 year old cowboys in 1963, when they are chosen to watch a large herd of sheep for the entire summer at a ranch on Brokeback Mountain.

With Jack acting as the entertainer and Ennis the strong silent type, they gradually begin to bond over cold nights by the fire and a bottle of whisky. As their friendship slowly grows, it seems almost accidental when they first acknowledge their desire for each other and spend a night together.
Although the affair continues throughout the summer, when it is time for them to leave the ranch they try to convince each other that they are both heterosexual men who should leave the events on the mountain behind them.

When they go their separate ways, Ennis goes on to marry his sweetheart, Alma (Michelle Williams), and Jack starts a family with pretty rodeo rider, Lureen (Anne Hathaway). But try as they might, the pair can’t suppress their feelings for each other and, after four long years, they meet again to acknowledge their true emotions.
What ensues is a heartbreaking love story about restraint, passion and the consequences of being forced to live a lie.

With Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee has taken the adaptation of Annie Proulx’s original short story and directed a beautifully shot movie that is compelling from start to finish.

The slow pace of the film helps to gradually draw the audience into this love story right from its beginning until they are left completely caught up with the emotion of Jack and Ennis’ affair.
The performances of Gyllenhaal and Ledger also both play a strong part in making this movie as wonderful as it is, as they each play completely convincing roles of men battling their own desires for each other with sensitivity and conviction.

Brokeback Mountain has really set the standard for films this year and I urge everyone to go and see it. I warn you though; it will be quite a challenge to sit through the duration of this movie without shedding a tear as it is so incredibly moving.