Brokeback Mountain

This was the first of the new year's big Oscar contenders that I saw, about 2 days after it was released, way before all the jokes and jibes started flying around. I had seen Crash months before, and that was a tough benchmark to reach, I really loved that movie. It is funny, but when the trailer for Brokeback first emerged sometime last Autumn my first reaction was less than positive - I thought it looked plain and stereotyped, even a little comic - but Ang Lee had made a couple of films that appear on my top 100 list, so I thought I'd keep an eye on it anyway. A few months later and the hype propelled it into the stratosphere, with five star reviews and nothing but universal praise. Going back to the exact same trailer and reviewing it, I was suddenly moved, beginning to see that, yes, it could be magnificent - just shows how the media can control our thoughts; add the words "Oscar nominated" to something and its stock goes through the roof. So what of the actual film? It is of course wonderful and beautiful in many many ways, containing a gentleness and ineffable grace that is evident in much of Lee's work, especially my favourite of his, The Ice Storm. The performances are praiseworthy across the board (although on balance I prefer Gyllenhaal to Ledger), the script is tight and honest, the photography is lovely and the entire mood is infused with something deliciously melancholy. In short, I love it! Five stars? Hell, yes. The best film of the year? Hmm, not so sure... Does the fact that it so openly addresses the topic of Gay romance give it more kudos than it normally would? Probably so. If this was about an illicit love story between male and female friends then perhaps it would be more thought of as admirable but dull? Of course, the screenplay is so eloquent that it never slips into exploitation or pastiche - it is a pure exploration of repression, guilt, longing and loneliness, and as such is an unmitigated success. The feeling upon coming out of the cinema into the cold light of day was one of sadness mixed with a strange sensation of being uplifted. It may not be the best film of the year, but whatever it does win come Oscar night will be hard to refute; it is an instant classic here to stay, and already I can't wait to see it again. 9/10 Kx