Brokeback Mountain

Wow. Finally went to see Brokeback Mountain tonight (just in time for the Oscars!). What a fantastic movie. I wasn’t completely engaged until the last half-hour of the movie, and then boom! The actors and the emotions were so compelling that I was in tears.

The acting was so much more than I expected. Heath Ledger gave an amazing portrayal of a man of few words and a granite expression – amazing because he was able to convey the intense conflict and emotion simmering under the surface. The women in this film (Michelle Williams in particular, but also Anne Hathaway and Kate Mara) also deliver expressive performances.

The cinematography is beautiful (with a location like the Albertan Rockies I guess you can’t go wrong) and so many scenes were beautifully framed by the camera. (I found the scene with the firecrackers to be very cool.)

There are some people (like Paul, my hairdresser of all people) who refuse to see the “gay cowboy movie”. Yes, it is about two men who fall in love. But more than that, it’s about two people who are passionately in love and cannot be together. It is a love story that transcends gay/straight. It’s about a love that is bigger than yourself, that brings you to your knees. And believe me, if you’ve ever been in love and in a doomed relationship, you will be able to relate to this.

In the past few weeks, I have also seen the movies Transamerica and Crash, and both are amazing films as well. They also moved me to tears and their themes resonated with me. But "Brokeback Mountain" will linger with me.