It can be hard learning new things about yourself, you can live your whole life believing you’re tough, when you find you’re human. You can live your whole life believing you’re generous and kind, only to find there’s a darker side to you, more unforgiving and vengeful. You might wake up one day or finish a conversation or end a relationship and find that who you used to be attracted to might not be the only person. You might find there’s a whole group of people you’re finding fun and gorgeous, and it can be a scary feeling suddenly not knowing yourself.
‘Brokeback Mountain’ is one of my favourite romantic films of all time. It’s not as simple as the formulaic rom-com like ‘Love Actually’ or ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ as remarkable as those films are. While we watch two men discover a love for each other, we also watch as they attempt to make sense of their homosexual revelation. The conflict isn’t from assuming they’re seeing other people or a few white lies or hearing the other pretend as if they were never interested. The conflict is self-discovery and how the two deal with themselves, whether they hide from it or run with it.
Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist are two cowboys employed to escort sheep through Brokeback Mountain. During their trek, they bond over the job and one night share a bed with each other. After the job, they carry on with their lives, marrying their girlfriends and starting families, but when Jack sends Ennis a letter wanting to meet again, the passion reignites and begin to have occasional meetings. Ennis struggles with his acceptance, citing a childhood experience of homophobia as the cause. The two have to ask themselves whether what they have is real and whether it’s worth fighting and leaving their families for.
Heath Ledger plays Ennis Del Mar with an obvious put-on Southern accent, but that doesn’t change the hurt and love you witness him feel throughout the film, in fact, it may amplify it. My interpretation is that the accent is another tool to help preserve his masculinity, throughout their relationship, Ennis holds onto that accent for dear life, as if, when he loses it, he loses his status as a man. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Jack Twist with such pleasant energy; you’ll root for him more than Ennis. His rage scenes are played with such subdued ferocity, it pains you to see he’s holding emotions back, all the disrespect by Ennis, his father-in-law, you want him to lose it so maybe they can finally understand. Michelle Williams plays Alma, Ennis’s wife, such an innocent victim in the film, she tries to make the best of it but she’s forced into a broken marriage and Williams, as with every portrayal, nails it. Your heart shatters when you watch her go along with it, with no choice in the matter, until it’s too much and Ennis’s domestic life starts to degrade.
Mason’s Top 3 Reasons To Watch ‘Brokeback Mountain’
- A peaceful soundtrack to fall in love with, soothing guitar ballads as we visit the Wyoming countryside
- Plot points that will, no doubt, spark discussion over the morality of the characters and how we feel society views the LGBTQ+ community today
- A heartbreaking tale of self-internalised homophobia, self-respect, and a relationship you wish works out
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