BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams

"Love is a force of nature."

Cinema 4, Greenbelt 3

Annie Proulx provides us with a poignant tale of two cowboys who despite their tough and rugged exterior develop a deep friendship that spans throughout the years. Then Ang Lee enthrall us with a beautiful cinematography that simply takes your breath away. The snow capped Brokeback Mountain in Wyoming (although it was filmed in Alberta, Calgary) symbolizes a calm place in their world of forbidden passions and hidden secrets. After that summer on Brokeback Mountain tending sheep amidst gorgeous scenery, Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist share a bond that is not meant to be yet the yearning continues to build. They get married to women, bore them children and live a normal existence. Their 'fishing' trips together is the only thing that adds spice to their otherwise dreary existence. Men of few words, they don't expressly voice out their feelings towards each other. A very poignant scene is when they part ways after their first summer on Brokeback Mountain and we see Ennis break down in tears hiding behind a shed, unable to control himself.
The fact that it is a love story between two men at a time and a place where it is taboo is what makes the movie so poignant. Yet it doesn't necessarily treat the subject matter in a vulgar way. You are drawn towards the characters for who they are not for what they stand for. It goes beyond homosexuality. The beauty lies in its simple portrayal of a love that is wrong yet deep inside you know is right in some surreal sense. It touches a raw nerve to anybody who knows how it feels to long and yearn for someone you cannot have. I'm sure we have all been there at some point in our lives.
Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams are just like decorations on a Christmas tree. Heath Ledger has a strong powerful presence even when he portrays a shy quiet man of few words. Three words: Jake Gyllenhaal rocks! His soulful expressive eyes just twinkle and brighten up the whole screen. But of course kudos goes to Ang Lee for giving us a simple yet touching sensitive love story and making us grow to love two compassionate yet conflicted characters. Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist!