Saturday, March 26, 2016

#575: Brokeback Mountain

Director: ANG LEE
2005, TSPDT Rank #718

This film is a work of rare simplicity and grace which follows the secret lifelong love affair between two cowboys in the American West during the middle of the 20th-century. The desperation and setting-specific social ramifications of the men's relationship is evocatively portrayed throughout the film, and is perfectly supported by picturesque cinematography and an achingly beautiful score. Heath Ledger gives a brilliant performance which serves as a reminder of the great loss that his death represented, and Jake Gyllenhaal gives his character an emotionally intense energy which makes him the perfect foil for Ledger's highly reserved and repressed character. I admire films which capture the passage of time so well within the constrained length of a feature film, and this film does it exceptionally. Definitely worth seeing for those who enjoy films which attempt to convey the profound highs and lows of relationships, while also conveying the toll that time eventually takes on us all.

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