Brokeback Mountain Is Breaking Barriers

Friday night, a couple friends and I went to see Brokeback Mountain. Going into the movie the only thing we knew was that it revolved around the life of two gay cowboys. I had no idea what to expect because, well basically, I have never experienced a movie that revolved around a gay or lesbian plot. The plot develops extremely slowly and for about the first 30 minutes of the film, I was quite confused on what was happening. Once the plot begins to develop, the film moves along slowly and does not necessarily keep the audience too interested.
Even with the slow pace of the movie, the actors Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal created the perfect gay couple for the movie. Their personalities just seemed to fit together. It must have been hard to film some of the scenes in the movie because both of these actors are straight, but they quite convincing in their portrayals of the homosexual roles, which says volumes for their acting ability. I really believe that this was Heath Ledger's breakout role, showing his abilities as a serious actor.
The film begins with Ennis Del Mar, Heath Ledger, and Jack Twist, Jake Gyllenhaal, arriving at a sheep herder's trailer for jobs in the summer of 1963. The two young men come from different backgrounds, one being a ranch hand and the other a rodeo cowboy, and do not previously know each other. They are given the job to take sheep up Brokeback Mountain, hence the name of the movie, during the summertime. The two men gradually fall in love with each other. The story follows the two men's life-long bond with one another and the struggles they face with trying to hide their love.
The film was based on a short story written by E. Annie Proulx and directed by Ang Lee. It has been nominated for 7 Golden Globes, including best actor, best director, and best motion picture, and has already won 24 awards and has been nominated for 13 others.
While the movie was well-made, there are many who believe that it is a difficult movie to watch because of the level that the characters pursue their homosexual relationship, and I somewhat agree with that. However, watching the film I could only think of the love that the men had for each other and the fact that they were two men did not phase me as much as I expected it might have. I would encourage everyone to see the film for the mere fact that it breaks a barrier that so many people have been trying to build over the years, the barrier that homosexuality can exist but you should not pursue it. Ang Lee dared to stretch the limits of film making and pushes the audiences to see through the fact that the men are gay and only see the love they have for one another. It is a classic love story, in a different light than has been portrayed before.

- Christina