Brokeback Mountain

Based on the short story by Annie Proulx, at the very core, Brokeback Mountain is a love story. Does it matter that it is about homosexual love, and therefore it is a love story that we haven’t seen before, at least not on screen? (And when you see something for the first time your reactions can vary from surprise to shock to disgust to amazement…virtually anything.) The answer however is no, because, the story is nice plus it’s been directed very well. And so there is nothing sleazy, and nor is the director out to prove a point or get political mileage or create a controversy purely for commercial reasons. At the end of the day, he is just telling a beautiful story…of two people who discover love accidentally in the mountains of Wyoming. And that love translates into a passion that lives on forever, and impacts their lives and in the process, the lives of the people around them.

The two cowboys, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, “discover” each other at Brokeback Mountain. After their brief association they part ways, and meet again after four years. And during these four years, each of them has gotten married and become a father. But once they touch base again, they rediscover their need and fall into a sort of rhythm by taking off to Brokeback Mountain every now and then while telling their respective wives that they are going fishing. Over the years, their families have to bear the brunt of this passion but then again, love can be so selfish. When you discover your personal paradise with someone, no matter how many reasons there might be to give it up, and no matter how many people you might end up hurting, you still want to continue being with that one person. Giving up people is never easy. Giving up on love, tougher.

On the other hand, I wonder, does their romance last a lifetime simply because it is unrequited? If they had actually got each other, would they still have loved each other with the same intensity? Or would love then have taken a backseat just like it so often does in real life when other, more “serious” issues have to be confronted on a daily basis?

I liked the sensitivity and everyday complications that the film deals with. Also the characters. Right from the shocked, loving wife who discovers her husband’s betrayal to the cowboys’ boss who learns about their affair through his snooping ways, all the characters are realistic. And the cinematography is to die for! Can there be such beautiful skies and splendid sunsets anywhere on this planet? But is Brokeback Mountain Oscar material? In my opinion, no. It’s a poignant love story yes, but that’s it. The pace could have been snappier, the editing tighter. Several scenes seemed to just drag on, and probably weren’t that essential in the first place. But this is of course, just my personal opinion. If you haven’t watched it yet, please do so. It’s an interesting story, and yes, this film is truly different.