Brokeback Mountain
My partner and I have been anticipating the movie Brokeback Mountain since we heard it was filming. Most of it was the hype about having a mainstream Hollywood director as well as my boyfriend's fixation with Heath Ledger. We finally got to see it last night at the Cedar Lee, and we certainly weren't disappointed.
The crowd at the theater was mixed and of all ages. No one left or made smart remarks. There were more than a few tears shed in the theater, and at the end there was applause. It's been awhile since I've heard that reaction at the end of a movie.
The previous hype had nothing to do with what I think of this movie - the expereince of seeing it was enough. It is over two hours long, but time seemed to slip away unnoticed. Brokeback is one of those movies that you can become completely wrapped up in feeling as though you have some stake in the characters. It is both beautiful and gut-wrenching. It is simple yet provocative.
There are so many themes in this movie that it's hard to begin to process them all. Truly it is a human love story that trancends the straight/gay pigeon-holes. It's not about having to be gay to relate to what Ennis and Jack are feeling. Certainly one doesn't have to be straight to feel the emotions of an epic story such as Romoe and Juliet. Obviously the story is about two men, and the specific struggles they face are unique to their situation. However, these are universal themes when it comes to love and relationships, and Brokeback captures the emotion of them poignantly.
Many reviewers have found flaws within the movie, or complaints about how the plot/character(s) was developed in relation to a "gay" subject. But from my perspective, that misses the point entirely. The themes of living life to the fullest, guilt over missed opportunities, self-discovery, finding love, and loss are universal shared human experiences. It's unfortunate that the same phenomenon that seperates people tries to pick this movie apart.
This is a movie I will go see again, and I highly recommend it to anyone with an open mind and heart.
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