Brokeback Mountain

"I wish I knew how to quit you."

"Brokeback Mountain" came into the public eye coupled with a monstrous amount of controversy. It's that gay cowboy movie, most said as they wrote it off. And, being in middle school, I encountered the immediate reference that emerged when any two males had any sort of contact-"BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN," my friends would scream. Of course, none of these people saw the film--they weren't gay, and only gay people went to see it, as far as they were concerned. There should be no wonder where there is so much hate in this country.

The film depicts the relationship of Jack and Ennis (Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger), two cowboys who meet while driving sheep on Brokeback Mountain in the fall of 1963. Initially, the two have a casual relationship, talking while eating meals. Ennis finds a confidant in Jack and speaks more to him than he has in his whole life. He discovers someone with whom he is comfortable and happy. So, one night Ennis ends up sleeping in Jack's tent after he realizes he can't make it back to his safely. In the middle of the night, the two engage in a quick sexual act, then fall asleep. They wake up in the morning, both fully aware of what happened, and promise to keep what happened between them. "I'm not a queer," Ennis states. "Well, neither am I," says Jack. Was this sexual exchange driven by Ennis' prolonged hiatus from sexual activity, being on the mountain and away from his fiance for so long? Or was he just attracted to Jack, and the lack of social and moral restrictions that come with being alone in the wild freed him to move in? I think it begins as the former, but as time progresses and the men continue to meet, Ennis develops a love for Jack.

The two men part ways at the end of the job, and they go back to their normal lives: Ennis marries Alma (Michelle Williams) and has two girls, and Jack marries Lureen (Anne Hathaway), the daughter of a wealthy farm equipment seller. But they never forget about one another--one day Ennis receives a post card from Jack, stating he will be up in Wyoming soon. Ennis is overjoyed, and when his friend arrives, they rush into an alleyway to kiss, to be seen by no one except Ennis' wife. She is horrified but doesn't share her knowledge with Ennis, allowing him to go "fishing" with Jack year after year. But the secret won't go away. She files for divorce and marries again, only then telling Ennis that she knew what he was doing all along.

And time and again, the two men meet at a secret rendezvous, where their conversations are free flowing and relaxed, as if they are only truly comfortable with each other. Over the course of the film, it is apparent that Jack needs Ennis the most. He drives from Texas to Wyoming each month, never making Ennis come the other way. And every so often, Jack offers to run away with Ennis, start up a ranch, live together, be happy. But every time, Ennis refuses; once he shares with Jack that when he was little, a gay cowboy in his town was drug by a horse and killed because of his sexuality. Ennis' father made sure his sons saw it, apparently trying to scare any homosexuality out of them. Whether from fear of social ostracism or frightening death, or even familial loyalty, Ennis turns Jack away over and over.

The men grow up, their lives begin to consume them. Ennis meets another girl but is unable to love her, even though she obviously loves him. Heath Ledger creates a character that is aloof, detached from everyone. He is tight lipped and masculine, and unable to connect with others. Could it be his love for Jack that subconsciously alienates him from the rest of the world? Or could he just be a quiet cowboy in an outgoing society, lonely and wanting what only one other has given him?

In the end, Ennis hears that Jack has died. Jack's wife says that he died in a freak tire-changing accident, but the coldness in her voice and flashbacks showing Jack beaten to death by other men suggest otherwise. Ennis is heartbroken. He travels to Jack's parents house and retrieves a shirt, one Jack wore while the two were on the mountain. He weeps for the only person he truly loved, and his life goes on, leaving him only with the memories.

Ang Lee created an intimacy in the setting on the mountain, alongside the already disappearing and foreign occupation of cowboy. Something about minimal technology and the wide open sky protruded by mountains evokes a nostalgia for a life I never had. The film was beautiful.

However, I didn't love the film; I thought going into it I would, but it just didn't do it for me. I don't say this to try and hide some homosexual desire within me or anything like that--with the cast of characters and the reputation of the film, I was disappointed in how little I was moved by it. Nevertheless, I still believe it was a solid film.