Beautiful? Yes. Affecting? Yes. Ground-breaking? For sure.
Jake Gyllenhal and Heath Ledger are two of the most genuinely talented actors of this generation and they both took a risk in embracing the respective roles of Jack Swift and Ennis Del Mar. Of course with Ang Lee at the helm, the risk was also a bit of a sure bet. For those who don't know, Annie Proulx laid the groundwork for the adapted screenplay with her short story of the two men who find love and the toll that love takes on their lives.
When I set out to write this review, I was actually intending to be critical of this acclaimed film because I do have some problems with the way a few things were not addressed fully and with the duration (the 2 hours seemed like 3) but as I began writing, I changed my mind.
The supporting characters were a bit underdeveloped and my empathy for Michelle Williams' character clouded my appreciation of the film initially but at 2nd look, the story is one that could not have been better told on screen and deserved to be told. Very complicated, very simple, very painful and very triumphant love are found in this film. There is a wonderful parallel between the relationships of Ledger/Gyllenhal and Ledger/Williams and that is suffering and bearing it for as long as possible. It is torturous and a great story.
Bottomline: You can wait and rent it but do see this film. Brokeback Mountain
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