Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain details the story of two shepherds who meet in the summer of 1963 in the foothills of Wyoming. When dreamer Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) seduces the moody and self-loathing Ennis (Heath Ledger), their cautious friendship develops into a tortuous affair spanning 20 years.

The media has shamefully labelled the film as controversial, but a love story between two men is neither new nor unique; even the brief and shadowy sex scene is tame compared to the graphic visuals of television's Queer as Folk.

Based on a short story by E. Annie Proulx (The Shipping News), the screenplay by Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove) and Diana Ossana tries so hard to be subtle that it is laced with pointless dialogue and ends up being intolerably slow -- as with most "serious" art films, nothing much happens. And the entire message that you couldn't be openly gay 40 years ago is both moot and hypocritical, since little has changed in the intervening years.

The restrained cinematography fails to capture the majestic vistas of the Rocky Mountains, and what little score there is consists of the occasional tuneless strumming of a guitar.

Director Ang Lee, known primarily for action films (The Hulk, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), has no idea how to handle the material, infusing the narrative with little sensitivity nor much sympathy for the protagonists; in fact, both characters come off as selfish and spineless.

While Ledger's mid-western accent is at times so thick that his lines are mumbled into obscurity, both he and Gyllenhaal expertly portray the confusion and pain Ennis and Jack must struggle with over their role in life, society's expectations, and morals. Clearly, these are two lost souls who are meant to be together, but cannot.

Yet, what could have been an eloquent and deeply affecting statement of lives half-lived, Brokeback Mountain lacks the fire and vigour of forbidden love. Rating: 4 out of 10.