FILMBRATS - REVIEWS

Two young cowboys are desperately looking for work to sustain them through the summer. Jack and Ennis both get roped into watching a herd of sheep up in Wyoming’s Brokeback Mountain. Their duties will technically be illegal, but it’ll put food on their plates and all they have to do is sleep in a tent and shoot at any predatory creatures that might wander by. The new duo head off and end up learning a lot about each other. They become quick, close friends. Then one rainy night, instead of heading back up to his camp site at the top of the mountain, Jack stays at base with Ennis. It’s then they discover just how deep their bond has become. How can life ever truly be the same after that fateful summer? Or do they even want it to be?

I knew director Ang Lee still had the ability to make good movies left in him, and this one is a diamond in the rough. Of course that means the film still needs a bit of polishing. For instance, the main narrative thread of the love story between Ennis and Jack had me scratching my head. It seemed to move too quickly in the beginning because every shot of them made it seem like they were either longing for a distant lover (if they were on different parts of the mountain looking towards where the other would be) or undressing the other with their eyes (if they were in the same physical space). But despite those glances, the physical relationship seemed too unnatural and forced. I think the relationship would have been more effective in the beginning had the scenes been rearranged. For instance, Ennis punches Jack out right before they are to leave the mountain. Had he done this prior to their lovemaking, perhaps the resistance in the tent would be a little more believable and that fight would have made more sense. Ennis gives in and then he gets pissed when Jack makes a pass? I don’t get it.

But, once we’re off the mountain and the two go back to their everyday lives, the relationships between all the characters work wonderfully and I couldn’t imagine a more well-constructed narrative thread. I could imagine a quicker pace, however. I know the film covers a span of twenty plus years and takes place in the country where time moves slower, but it doesn’t need to drag. It’d also be nice if they made it easier to tell that the two were aging. Adding sideburns and/or mustaches isn’t exactly cutting it.

While you’re waiting for something to happen (the gay cowboys do not eat pudding), you can marvel at the incredible cinematography. Rodrigo Prieto shoots gorgeous, sweeping landscapes that capture the desolate countryside as well as the young men’s equally empty lives. The truly amazing shots seem to all come near the beginning, but the entire film is solid and doesn’t resort to using different styles to reflect the changing decades. The acting is equally on point, and I would only really find fault with Jake Gyllenhaal (Jack) as he tends to ham it up a tad. But, as I tend to find the most joy in the smaller roles, my favorite performance came from Randy Quaid as the ominous boss.

This film grabs you right from the start, especially from the visual side. The grip isn’t always as tight as it needs to be, but there should be no problem keeping your attention fixed on the screen, even through the dull parts. If your beliefs are such that you think homosexuality is wrong, then I doubt this film is for you. I seriously doubt it’ll change a lot of minds. But if the subject matter doesn’t bother you, it’s worth a trip.

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