Fridae

Once upon a time, when there wasn't avenue for public cruising,
people headed up to the mountains. And if they were married —
those were the times — they told their wives and kids they
were going up there fishin'. With their best buddies, of course.
Oh yah, can't forget them fishin' rods too.

Well, that was just my imagination. But in truth I speak because
I'm shattered by the utterly heartbreaking and socially-informed
romance Brokeback Mountain is, queer or otherwise: two
gay cowboys discover their sexuality and their deep love for each
other while herding horses up in the verdant green of the mountains.
After coming though the wilderness and having shared many nights
of incendiary consummation, alas, civilisation and proprieties beckon
them back with false dreams of blissful marriages and happy families.

Succumbing to delusions of the respectability of straight living,
these Malboro men soon find out the price they have to pay for snuffing
out what they truly had under the boots of hetero-normativity, like
a burnt cigarette butt. Incidentally, Jake's and Heath's are equally
hot too. Though I dig brunette more... But I digress.

The Venice triumph and queer politics' sounding board of 2005,
Brokeback Mountain broke all rules of Hollywood filmmaking,
defied many a conventions (the Western genre's for one), and look
at the sky darlin's: the horizon is ablazed in rainbows. Based on
a short story by celebrated writer E. Annie Proulx, whose sexuality
I might venture to add bends suspiciously towards comradely Choraic
love, Brokeback Mountain is sense and sensibility for all
self-respecting gay men, especially those still living in the hinterlands
of the closet. Yes, you, I'm talkin' to you!

Kudos to Ang Lee, a dark horse for this year's Best Director Oscar,
and the miraculous performances of all the actors and actresses
involved, Brokeback Mountain is an amazing piece of cinema
in a long while. Every gesture and every frame speaks volume for
the silent heartaches, not only between the gay lovers, but also
between them and their respective spouses. Michelle Williams deserves
special mention for she electifies the screen with the naked intensity
of devotion betrayed. In fact, passion remains unrequited for everyone
in this tragedy of a love that dares not speak its name.

A love story for all wonderous seasons to come and that have been,
it is a wide-screen romance best watched with one arm safely snugged
in the folds of your partner, and the other guarding over the Kleenex.
And after you have cried enough, perhaps it is time to tell the
snickering straight brats two seats down the row to F-off. Cowboy
style.

Alex Au writes on Fridae:

READ
in asia, the mountain may be missed

READ
how to brokeback

and

READ more about Brokeback Mountain


READ Fridae Lifestyle Music Review of the original
soundtrack

READ
Fridae Lifestyle Movie Review in Chinese