Film Review

I have to take the SAT tomorrow. I'm not very nervous I guess, but then sometimes I get nervous because I'm worried that I'll get nervous and my nerves will make me do badly...But I'm ignoring that as best I can. I've just about got my bag packed for that ( 3 no. 2 pencils, a calculator, water, and snack). Then I have to pack my suitcase for Germany. So...It's a busy night.

However! I do have something to talk about. Brokeback Mountain.
I finally saw Brokeback Mountain today, and I've got a lot to say about it. First off, there is a very good remark upon our society underlying the whole thing. We live in a world in which many people do not feel comfortable coming out to their family and friends. That is why it is so powerful for two straight men to take on the role of two male characters who fall in love and have a very powerful emotional and sexual connection. When two straight men can step out of there own societally ingrained fear of being perceived as "unmanly" or (God help us!) homosexual and act out these two parts with nothing held back, the door to all of the closet's in the world are opened just the tiniest bit.
What else is beautiful about this film is that it does not make a big deal about labeling. All too often, people feel that, if they are different, they need to cling to a label so that they can feel that they are at least a part of some community. I've done it. To some extent I still do that, and I recognize it, and it's something that I work on, because it is so much more important to be who you are than to be what you are. Sure, you can be gay, Jewish, black, hispanic, bisexual, whatever, but that is infinitely less important than who you are. Brokeback Mountain never addresses the "What are we?" question, because that would have spoiled the love and tenderness that is in the film.
Another big reason I found for loving this film is it's complete acceptance of male sexuality and emotionality. There was no glossing over. These men were certainly in love with one another, but that didn't mean that they were wild and even animal when they made love. They were privately emotional, as so many men are, but when they did open up it was powerful emotion; it completely filled the screen. All too often, our society does not allow for men to be portrayed as both nurturing and loving and powerful and sexual. There is this bullshit idea that runs rampant in our world that raging sexuality and power cannot coexist with love and nurturing in a single moment. I completely disagree and could not think that this film demonstrated that point more beautifully.
The film embraced the idea of very masculine homosexuality, which is an all too often ignored part of our society. Society is much less interested in masculine gay men, because they aren't funny. It isn't funny when gay men stay within "normal" gender roles; it's funny when gay men are flamboyant, boa-wearing queens. The fact of the matter is though, that gay men aren't all queens. There are actually "man's man" (hehehe) gay men out there. Brokeback Mountain fully expressed that aspect of homosexuality, and I really appreciated that.

Overall, it was an amazing film and I would immediately recommend it to anyone.

Thing to be grateful for today: Good films.