Brokeback Mountain
To review this movie correctly is to begin with reviewing the crowd.
I waited for this movie since I saw the astonishing preview while watching another movie. When it premiered here in LA, there were only a few theaters — think 2! — that played it. Which was a surprise because the previews and posters were all over the place making one think it would debut in many theaters. But later on (read: 3 days ago) I saw the movie playing in one of the smaller theaters nearby and realized that the movie eventually made its way to all the other theaters. (This introduction is a good example of "derailment" in terms of making a narrative. It has nothing to do with the review and is unnecessary).
When we entered the hall, I was happy to see gay men (and some women) come in droves, and in all shapes and sizes, proving once again that there is not ONE homosexuality, but MANY homosexualities. There were twinks and leather daddies, butchboys, femmes and trannys, model-looking and father-looking, etc. The rainbow symbol in the flesh.
Brokeback mountain, I found too long. There is a point in a movie where one feels that it is supposed to end, but it doesnt. That point should have been felt by Ang Lee, but I guess it escaped him. I don’t think anyone who sees this movie will think the length was "just right". It was too long. All the major points have already been expressed, and yet the story ran on nothing but cinematography. But then again, it was a rare movie about cowboys and cowboy-love. So though my head hurt a little, I didn’t give a fuck.
The movie’s message — celebrate love (in whatever form it may take, but more acutely perhaps if it take the form of the ever-difficult-becaused-demonized gay love) because you may lose it one day and regret not embracing it fully — is Old (2 soldiers, one out and one not, the "out" one dies — that’s Yossi and Jagger) . The cowboy plot is new though. And it was nice to see Heath and Jake play the main lead.
The audience burst out laughing when Heath started ignoring his wife because of supposed "fishing trips". I didn’t think that was funny. It was terrible. Can you imagine the pain of realizing that the person who you built your world around really does not "love you" fundamentally because the object of his sexual/emotional desires is the opposite of you? What is so funny about being ignored and cheated on? Nothing. Gay or straight. Of course, this never happens to Filipinas with gay husbands because our culture is so in fucking denial. A gay man who marries a woman is straight — that’s what Filipino culture believes.
The biggest foul-up of the movie is this: You cannot lubricate yourself in 0 degree-weather by spitting on your hand. And Jake didn’t even say Ouch??? MISTAKE!
So far I have criticized the movie to death. Did I like it? I LOVED IT.
Watch Brokeback Mountain.
