Feb 04, 2007 06:32 PM
2047 Views
I'm a straight and busy man, known for being stoic and usually not displaying emotion, or so I'm told. I went and saw Brokeback Mountain a few nites ago, mainly to see what all the fuss was about. I was sure expecting a lot given all the rave reviews. During the movie itself, I guess I kept expecting something major to happen, but all the while thinking it was a simple, yet well told love story.
What happened after that has both disturbed and frustrated me. I simply have not been able to get that movie out of my mind. Something about it that I still can't describe. I couldn't get to sleep that nite, and still couldn't stop thinking about it the next day. Then, something I've never done, I had to go see it again, the very next nite(and this is two late shows in the middle of the week!). To get it out of my system, I guess, but didn't work.
While at face value a genuine love story, to me it was more a story about Regret, and how it can destroy our lives. this need not be regret about a missed loved one, but also missed opportunities, missed dreams.missed because of our own fears about failure or expectations of what you are supposed to become.expectations from family/friends/society.
In the end, a life of regret becomes a stabbing loneliness of the soul, and that is a life of aching misery.
That is what Ennis is left with at the end, and I guess that is why it had a profound affect on me. There are numerous memorable scenes, but one scene in particular reveals this pain.After the final big argument with Jack, Ennis is in a diner, eating a piece of pie. That's it. just by himself, empty table, empty restaurant, eating this tiny piece of pie. What will he be like in 10 years, 20 years, still at that table, alone, eating pie. Just devastating to watch.
Who amongst us has the perfect idyllic life, or has lived without regrets?("Of all the words in ink and pen, the saddest are: It could have been").
Offering my own interpretations to some negative comments on other posts:
Comment: "How could this be a love story when Jack and Ennis never say they love each other?"
Well, that's the whole point of the movie, ain't it? It's about repression of one's feelings.think about how hard it is for many men to say "I love you" to their own wives, and you can imagine how impossible it would be for these men, at that time, to say "I love you" to each other. Would you rather that they got all googly and had candlelight dinners? That's the heartwrenching tragedy of it. that they can not admit their love. The most profound lines about this from the movie are Jack saying: "sometimes I miss you so much I can't stand it".and Ennis saying later: "It's because of you that I'm like this"(but not lovingly, but with blame."I'm nothing, I'm nowhere"). That's their reality, their love, but they don't know how to express it, and it has destroyed them.
Comment: "The first encounter with Jack and Ennis didn't seem realistic, like they jumped in and had sex without talking about it"
Don't you think it would have been totally corny if they said first: "So, you wanna get it on?". This first encounter was primal, based on urges alone, no words, two drunk young men, haven't seen a woman for weeks, hormones raging.it was a spontaneous act. I guess you can say that the first encounter was not an act of making love, but of curiosity, and yes, lust. Then with their very next nite together, despite my personal awkwardness and hesitation in watching this gay encounter, I have now come to understand that I just witnessed one of the most pure love scenes in cinema.
The main scenes that I can't seem to shake off:
Jack's flashback, saying goodbye to Ennis, that look on his face, of hope and comfort. This is followed immediately by a return to the present, with Jack, now with the look of loss, seeing Ennis driving away, which would be the last time they saw each other.
And that heartbreaking final scene.Jack sneaking away Ennis' shirt and keeping it all these years, as the only earthly possession that he has of Ennis, b/c they don't have any pictures of each other(how could they?).did you notice that initially Ennis' shirt was inside Jacks, and later Jack's is inside Ennis'? This is Ennis enveloping Jack inside him forever.
The final image of Ennis becoming an old and grumpy cowboy, not being able to love or be loved anymore, alone in that tiny trailer.truly truly heartbreaking.
Kudos to Ang Lee and the cast, a true classic, thanks. May I also suggest you check out the BBM website, where you will see many testimonials of others who were also profoundly moved by this movie.Do you think it's utter coincidence that this movie sticks for days/weeks in the minds of so many people? Are all these people truly fooled by the publicity and the hype? This is not a political statement, this is just a beautiful story.that's it. You can't have this much affect on so many people without being a masterpiece.
For those of you insistent that this movie is an "agenda" or that Hollywood has a diabolical scheme to make all Americans turn gay, I highly recommend that you please do NOT see this movie.You simply will not "get it", and you never will. Like a newly found buried treasure, this should only be awarded to those fortunate few who will value it's raw power.
