Ten years have passed since the death of actor Heath Ledger from an accidental drug overdose; a young actor, 28, but who left us an incredible cinematic legacy, in which titles such as Casanova, The Last Supper, Brokeback Mountain, Batman: The Dark Knight and The Imaginary World of Dr. Parnassus, a film that did not end and in which he had to be replaced by several actors. Undoubtedly, his most memorable role is that of the Joker, who earned him the wild Oscar and for which many call him “the best Joker ever”.
Today we want to honor Ledger with another of the titles that marked his career, Brokeback Mountain, a 2005 Ang Lee film in which Ledger shared a cast with Jake Gyllenhall, Anne Hathaway and the woman who would become his wife and mother. Her only daughter, Michelle Williams.
- Brokeback Mountain is based on the story of the same name by Annie Proulx; The film won several awards.
- Including three Oscars.
- The story presented to us by Lee is a love story.
- Lived by two solitary pawns.
- Set in the 1960s and 1970s.
- Brokeback Mountain shows us the social pressures homosexuals are subjected to.
It is becoming increasingly common to include gay characters in the world of film and series, but the truth is that it has not always been so, many of these characters were secondary or had no romantic theme and were previously associated with comic situations. Independent cinema aside, where there are other kinds of stories, the truth is that in more commercial cinema there are only heterosexual love stories.
Homosexuality has been a great taboo throughout history, and although we have come a long way, it is difficult to find sex scenes between homosexuals; On the other hand, heterosexual scenes are innumerable. Rarely, homosexuals are protagonists or receive a story in the style of Romeo and Juliet or Titanic. It seems that the most romantic genre is reserved only for heterosexuality.
“Sometimes I miss you so much I can’t stand it. “Jack Twist, Brokeback Mountain?
Brokeback Mountain, while not the only gay-themed film, was one of the pioneers in focusing her entire plot on a same-sex love story; In addition, these people were men, which is more interesting because romantic sex has always been more related to women.
In this line, we realize that it is easier to find scenes of love between women than between men. Even in heterosexual scenes, a woman’s naked body tends to grab more planes than a man’s; Well, we have titles like blue is the hottest color. It seems to be less outrageous to show and lesbian scenes than a man’s body or a gay scene, perhaps, because it would challenge the heterosexual stereotype of masculinity.
Despite all the awards and success of the film, it was not without controversy. Ledger himself had to endure uncomfortable questions homophobic in the press, and some American associations linked to the Catholic Church have harshly criticized the film.
They even canceled their screening in some cinemas, it was banned in China and censored in Italy during an open television broadcast. On this occasion, scenes of homosexual love and even kisses were censored; however, scenes were allowed in which sex was much more explicit than homosexuals.
However, the film fulfilled its task, addressing a controversial subject in a friendly and respectful tone and, above all, showing true love between two people.
Is Brokeback Mountain a silent, slow, interrupted film?But totally emotional. A film full of feelings that brings us something never seen in commercial cinema: the love story of two men, seemingly “very masculine”, who must struggle to live their love in a society that punishes homosexuals.
Enis Del Mar, a serious young man who speaks little, and Jack Twist, cheerful and eloquent, spend a summer working as shepherds on the mountain, completely away from the world, loneliness, complicity and coexistence will provoke a sexual encounter between the two who will initially generate mixed feelings and then trigger a love story that will accompany them forever. The demands of the time, patriarchal society and the stereotype of masculinity will keep their relationship alive underground.
Jack’s the one who’s going to start the relationship; Ennis will turn out to be quite the opposite, even if you finally succumb and get carried away by your feelings. Soon we will discover that Ennis has solid armor and is committed to maintaining social appearances. She’s about to marry a woman and she’ll make Jack understand she’s not gay. This armor and denial of his true feelings are due to trauma, as Ennis sensed a terrible scene in his childhood: a man killed and tortured for his sexual orientation.
Summer comes to an end and both will put this relationship aside, their secret will remain kept in the mountains. Ennis’s trauma leads us to experience violent scenes between them because, despite his feelings for Jack, he refuses to accept that he is gay. and this will lead him to act with some violence.
Over time, everyone will make their lives with a woman, both will become parents and live as they are supposed to, but Ennis will live a more difficult situation, as his family will have financial problems and he will not be happy. Jack, on the other hand, will marry a rich woman and his life will be very pleasant; although then we discover that everything is nothing more than a facade, because your marriage does not work and your relationship with your stepfather is complicated. Jack’s stepfather is a clear example of a Texan involved in patriarchal values who believes that every man should be a “good alpha male,” with the customs associated with that stereotype.
After many years of not seeing each other, Jack and Ennis will meet again and, from that moment on, their getaways will become more frequent, passion and love will not be gone despite time, Jack will be willing to give it all up in the first place. a life with Ennis, he is a much freer man and willing to fight for his feelings, but Ennis is a victim of society and cannot get rid of his role, he is afraid of not being accepted and ending up like the man I saw when you were little.
As a personal recommendation, I think it is convenient to watch the film in its original version, because dubbing has translation problems that create confusion at the end. It is a film that invites you to abandon prejudice and see history as what it is: a true in a purely Texan, Catholic and conservative environment, a love story between two men is born that will mark them for the rest of their lives.
“If we’re close to each other and we’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, they’ll kill us. “