Austinist reviews: Brokeback Mountain

1963. Deserted-looking Wyoming town. Ennis Del Mar (Ledger) and Jack Twist (Gyllenhaal) are down-on-their-luck cowboys hired to look after a herd of sheep for the summer. The two men set off to majestic Brokeback Mountain, where they face the harsh weather, lack of provisions, and quiet, lonely nights. Jack is a buoyant, aspiring rodeo rider, while Ennis is withdrawn, solitary, and obviously struggling with his own demons. Time and circumstances eventually bring them closer together. They open up to each other, learn about one another’s fears and dark pasts. A night of freezing cold and too much whiskey forces them to share a tent, and later, a moment of intimacy. It’s quick and rough, but seems natural for both of them.

Afterwards, everything is, of course, different. Ennis gruffly denies that he’s “queer,” and Jack is quick to agree. But there is still an undeniable, strong connection between them, and the rest of the summer they act like schoolboys, roughhousing and swimming in the river. They show their affection for each other mostly through violence; wrestling, punching, pushing. It seems that’s the only way each knows how to be close with another man. Jack, who appears more certain of himself, gives the hardened and weary Ennis the tenderness he has been missing, but Ennis is intent on denying his true feelings. Only after their job has ended and they go their separate ways, presuming they’ll never see each other again, does Ennis break down, and we see his absolute despair.

Ennis marries his sweetheart, Alma (Michelle Williams), and together they have two daughters. He continues looking for any work he can get, and the couple barely makes ends meet. Ennis is a good husband and father, providing as best he can, but something is off, and Alma can feel it. Jack heads to Texas to try his luck at rodeo riding. His interactions with men hint at the truth of his desires, but he meets a talented barrelracer named Lureen (Anne Hathaway) and marries her. Jack and Ennis are just trying to play the roles they assume they should play. They want to love the women they’re with - and do, in a way - but the passion, the sheer happiness, they felt with each other that summer is noticeably lacking in their marriages.

Four years after the summer on Brokeback, the distance between them becomes overwhelming, and Ennis and Jack reunite. When they see each other again, their exuberance is captivating. The two continue meet, year after year, on fishing or hunting trips, returning to Brokeback Mountain to relive the best time of their lives. In the gorgeous, sweeping mountains, amid the wild trees and icy rivers, Ennis and Jack are at peace. The raw beauty of the landscape is juxtaposed with their “real” lives in small, dusty towns, where they feel more and more closed in by family obligations and living a lie.

The occasional meet-ups can’t last. After 20 years, it all becomes too much to endure, and Jack wants things to change. He suggests they buy a ranch together, but Ennis is quick to say no. He knows the potential, horrific consequences of publicizing their relationship, and it simply cannot happen. This moment is the culmination of all the insecurities, doubts, pain, and loneliness the two men have felt throughout their lives. It’s absolutely tragic to watch them break down, to realize that what they want – really, what they need – is impossible in a world that will not recognize their love as human, but as an abomination.

This film is cast so perfectly, from the lead actors to the supporting roles. Ledger and Gyllenhaal absolutely sparkle, but Heath truly stands out as the star. He doesn’t just play Ennis, he gets into Ennis’s skin. Ledger proves himself as a talented actor, deftly registering every emotion on his face and in his eyes. Ennis is a man completely at odds with himself, and Ledger intuitively understands that. Director Ang Lee moves the film along slowly, almost tediously, allowing time for the expansive blue sky to dazzle, or for the actors’ faces to speak for them. The dialogue is sparse, but so much is conveyed without words, with subtlety and sensitivity, with an assured skill that only Lee possesses. He seems to grasp the concept of the American West, how Americans see and romanticize it, but also how much of it we have overlooked or misunderstood. As the film progresses, it becomes less and less about gay cowboys, and more about a human struggle for love and acceptance, for what is essential. It tears down notions and ideals that society still clutches to, and with a slow and steady hand, breaks your heart bit by bit.

Man, that Brokeback Mountain will really get you good.

Brokeback Mountain opens in Austin this Friday, Dec. 16th