Brokeback Mountain Movie Review

To simply call Brokeback Mountain a gay western is to deny the core of the movie's message. Sure Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) are men. But the struggle they face is not one exclusive to homosexual relationships. Rather, their struggle is a human condition. It is a struggle of strength and faith in who you are and your ability, your courage, to live up to your potential. Though the fact that this ranch hand and rodeo cowboy also happen to love each other deeply is as central to the story as their affair is, it is not anywhere near the whole story. It underscores their pain and the loss they've had throughout their entire lives.

The story opens in a rural Wyoming town in 1963. The sky and mountain vistas are vast and two young cowboys wait for the ranch office to open. They size each other up. They pose. They grunt. They do not talk. In fact, for the first act of the film there is not much conversation. Instead their burgeoning relationship and friendship are displayed through Jack's gestures and Ennis' stillness and powerful gaze. The more noise Jack makes, the quieter and more droll Ennis becomes. The more Jack pushes, the more Ennis retreats. This is a theme to his entire life.

They are waiting for local rancher Joe Aguirre (Randy Quaid) to show up. They need jobs, you see, and Aguirre has a flock of 1,000 sheep that need herding up on Brokeback Mountain. Ennis and Jack are hired and set off for the wilderness. Set against the beauty and vastness of the Wyoming mountains, this intimate tale gets off to a slow and somewhat awkward start. Ennis is quiet, full of meaningful stares and inspired grunts. Jack is a bit of a clown, jabbering away when not playing his harmonica. There is an innocence and sweetness to the way the men come to know each other. Their backgrounds are revealed in bits and pieces. They know their place in the world. This is the 60s. They live in a small town with a narrow, repressed view of the world. They will marry women, have children, make a living off the land. And if they are lucky, they'll have some small measure of happiness.