Brokeback Mountain is more than just a movie. This film, shot by Ang Lee in 2005 based on the American writer Annie Proulx, touched on the most important topic of tolerance, and later even received the title of “the first gay western in the history of cinema”, which makes it immediately clear that this work of cinematography was perceived by the audience very ambiguous.
The action of the plot takes the viewer to the 60s of the last century, Wyoming. The main characters are two young men – Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar. From the first seconds of the joint scene, a certain intensity of the atmosphere is felt between the main characters, and this meeting becomes fatal in the fate of both, however, they still do not suspect it, together they go to the seasonal pasture to look after the flock of sheep for the sake of earning. Gradually, the characters get closer: conversations about everything – from complaints about working conditions to plans for the future; joint meals; common tasks and responsibilities.
Not the best living conditions make themselves felt, and on one particularly cold night, the men are forced to spend the night in a small common tent; it is on this night that the relationship between them goes into a completely different direction, since a long stay alone makes itself felt, and they spend it together in every sense. This strange, confusing connection becomes a salvation from the ills of their service. But everything – good or bad – ends sooner or later, and now two friends, having completed their term, return to their former lives, parting for a long period. They do not know if they will be able to meet again, and therefore both feel broken, but eventually find the strength to continue to exist.
In four years, both men start families and more or less stable lives, but memories and feelings do not want to leave their thoughts, and after a while they are reunited again in secret dates. Dreams of living together, which they shared only with each other, remained only bright and naive dreams in the harsh reality. “You can’t change anything here. You have to endure, ”ennis’s phrase, said on the night of one of their meetings, accurately describes the situation of this couple. Indeed, in the place and time where they were, homophobia was considered something natural, supported by the absolute majority, and homosexuals, if they revealed themselves, were treated extremely cruelly. It is difficult to live when you do not have the opportunity to be with the person you love – but this is exactly what two men have to do in order to save their lives and have hope at least for rare days of joint happiness. Brokeback Mountain is their comfort zone, a place where they don’t have to hide or pretend. The only place where they were safe, unlike the rest of the world. But, unfortunately, it was impossible to hide there for the rest of their lives, and it is impossible to avoid the tragic ending of their story. One day, Ennis sends Jack a letter inviting them to meet again in their place, but receives it back, and soon suddenly learns that the recipient has died. The official story is an accident at work, but Ennis suspects, not without reason, that the cause was the revenge of a homophobic society for who they were and whom they loved. He does not even have the right to mourn his beloved or fulfill his last will – to take Jack’s ashes to Brokeback Mountain, and is forced to hold on until he is left alone with his grief. In addition to this pain, Del Mar is forced to find out that shortly before his death, Twist found himself another – but this is no longer important, because the cowboy is no more, and all that remains for a man from many years of their love together is Brokeback Mountain, memories, warm and bitter, but the native smell on the lover’s old jacket.
This film accurately conveys the atmosphere of those years in terms of intolerance towards people of a different orientation. But the main thing here is not homophobia at all. He calls people to respect, acceptance, tolerance, understanding of those who differ from you in any way, and getting rid of the condemnation of a person simply for who he was and who he is. Behind this story lies the truth about struggle, resilience, patience, masculinity in affection, friendship and love. Two people who were able to overcome everything: society, stereotypes, cruelty, rejection, disagreements, unfortunate twists of fate – everything to be together no matter what. Everyone’s life was difficult because of this struggle, but even that did not stop them until the very end. And even though the ending of their common history was tragic, but in the life of both there was such a difficult and secret, short-term and incomplete, but such a desired, warm, beautiful happiness in each other’s face. In this plot, of course, one of the important roles is played by hatred and cruelty, but patience and love are still the main ones here.
