Boston Herald
Sunday, April 2, 2006

Brokeback Mountain
Universal | Critic: A


Halfway through “Brokeback Mountain,” you may forget you are watching a love story between two men. Despite being derided and parodied as that “gay cowboy film,” the most talked-about movie of 2005 shies away from the political. It tells an intensely personal story of two young men who unexpectedly fall in love in 1963 Wyoming. What they feel is a mystery to themselves, and they spend the next 20 years denying their feelings and bringing sorrow to themselves and everyone in their paths. Unlike so many other films, “Brokeback Mountain” doesn’t tell you how to feel about its protagonists; it trusts you enough to make up your own mind.

Heath Ledger delivers a career-making performance as Ennis, a man so tortured he can barely look anyone in the eyes. Jake Gyllenhaal is more than his match as extrovert Jack Twist, an aspiring rodeo star whose attempts to build a life with Ennis are repeatedly rebuffed. As the film moves ahead 20 years, the actors modulate their performances, showing the ravages of love thwarted. Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway and Linda Cardellini (“ER”) turn in strong performances as the bewildered women in their lives.

The disc includes four featurettes. In one, director Ang Lee - who won an Oscar for his work here - says he was so burned out by previous disappointments that he was on the verge of retirement. “Brokeback Mountain” restored his faith in the art of film. It may do the same for you.


Mark A. Perigard

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