Brokeback Mountain

[Gearoid]

Ha, awesome. ^^

I went to see the movie three times :

 

- Once alone and I cried like a baby.

- Once with a group of my uni (which was a terrible mistake because I was helplessly choking from laughter at the end of the movie.)

- Once with two friends and we cried our eyes off. (Well, they cried inside ya know... they're "men" but you can't fool me. >_>)

 

Except for the second time where WE were the disturbance all you could hear in the theater was sniffings and heartbreaking sighs. It's been a long time since I haven't seen an audience getting out of a theater all dazed like those times.

 

Hi Xandra, I only cried once in this film and that was when Ennis (Heath Ledger) broke down and complained about what loving Jack had done to his life - "Because of you I am nothing." When Jack moved to hold him to comfort him, I lost it. It is the moment of transcendence when humanity reaches out to each other that makes me weep not the all too common moments when we are victims and victimize one another. I put an esssay about this film on the Dom Luka Discussion forum. I hope it is ok if I re-paste it here.

 

On endings happy and otherwise...

 

 

Been to see (finally) Brokeback Mountain. It brought many things to mind of course including the reaction to Dom

[Chaz]

I saw this movie with My Boyfriend Green and Green hated it. He said that he had seen many movies with gay themes that was better than this. I disagree with him. I cried too when I saw it because it touched me deep inside. I felt like I was connected with the characters and their situation.

 

I however did not think that this was the best movie at the Academy awards, not that Crash was either mind you. I think Munich was a better movie than Brokeback Mountain. It had better actors and a great director. I know some of you might disagree but you should really see Munich if you havent.

 

Chaz

[Xandra Kitee]

“Doug Ireland has a link to an article that is positively unhappy with the film:

 

There are many reasons to dislike Brokeback Mountain -- the complete lack of chemistry between the male leads, the painful, groan-inducing dialogue, the energyless pacing -- but all of this seems nitpicky in comparison to an outdated, out-of-touch theme. Marketed as the first (although it isn't, really) mainstream cross-over homosexual love story, it seems strange that liberal urbanites would open their arms to the story of two closeted dudes who can’t deal with their sexuality, are made miserable by the secret, and die unhappy and alone. This is the stuff of progressive filmmaking? Some might argue that the film’s implicit message is that staying in the closet is a mistake -- that if these cowboys had “come out,” they wouldn’t have faced such a miserable end. But my guess is most blue-state straight people walked out of the theater thinking, “Gee -- what a shame to be gay. Those poor people. Glad I’m not!” Can you disagree with them? What a depressing, miserable vision of the gay experience.”( Doug Ireland’s blog (http://direland.typepad.com/).)

I mainly wanted to react on this person's opinion.

 

I must say that I was a bit shocked. Because this seems so "self-centered". The world is a lot bigger than the few places where going to see a movie about two gay men is not an "extreme" experience.

 

This theme may seem outdated to him but it's a painful reality in a lot of places. Hopefuly, with internet mainly, those places are not out of reach of this film.

 

As for the "happy endings", sometimes, to get a point, you have to be harsh. It's good to show hope but it's also necessary to show what we do to each others or what we have done. How we hurt each others. It's important to see it clearly to be able to reflect on it.

 

The reaction I've seen the most is "straight" people thinking that this was mostly "unfair". It was unfair for Ennis and Jack but it was also unfair for their wives (and the waitress). Unfair how they hurt each others, how they are miserable while their happiness wouldn't have hurt anybody. And if they think it's unfair, they're not far from thinking that this is abnormal. Because it's abnormal that society should decide who people can love (as long as we're talking about 2 both consenting adults, I'm not THAT open minded. ^^).

 

Maybe it wasn't the most "progressive" movie of the year but it was a didactic movie for a lot of people. They were ready for it and ready to make the right conclusion about it. And this conclusion was NOT "I'm glad I'm not gay."

Edited March 10, 2006 by Xandra Kitee

[notTed]

Must agree...this story directly confronts the 'closet'. I spent way too many years in there and identify completely w/Ennis. Anyone of us could be him, ending up alone and lonely, but 'socially acceptable' as str8. I just am very thankful that society is more open today than in the era of this story and that I am able to live openly w/my spouse w/o fear or intimidation.