My Brokeback Mountain Experience
I finally took the plunge and watched Brokeback Mountain (2005) when I stumbled across it on television. It was quite an entertaining film that I could not turn off. And the subject was so novel that I had no idea where the plot would go. It was also interesting due to my personal journey to gain a mature perspective of homosexuality. Which is why I was finally able to watch the movie without being grossed out.
My history with TV and movies goes back to early childhood so many of my viewing habits are deeply ingrained. One of those habits has been to suspend disbelief and treat what I'm seeing as 'truth' and useful for drawing conclusions. Naturally this is deeply flawed and lately I've been trying to see the politics that is present in many movies. There is plenty of these subtle and not-so-subtle political messages woven into movies. It's not just 'moving with the times'; there are elements of activism that rightly see the entertainment industry as a vehicle for propaganda. This has always been the case but it's a little scary to someone like me who has not been terribly aware of politics until recently.
Homosexuality has a major stigma attached and I can see how my thinking has evolved. Many gay people are not monsters, which tends to conflict with how I used to regard the phenomenon. But I choose to stop well short of how many gay rights activists would like me to regard the subject. I believe that some urges or desires I experience are best left alone and not encouraged nor indulged. I will teach the same to my children and will encourage them to engage in relationships that can reach full and natural expression in the complimentary design of male and female bodies.
As for specific messages in the movie...
The relationship between the two cowboys starts out under flawed circumstances with an aggressive seduction of a drunk Ennis while he is all-but asleep. For this I must acknowledge the writers for not portraying a completely biased scenario.
The female partners in the show are not portrayed constructively. Ennis' wife comes across burdensome, controlling and totally unrelatable. While Jack's wife is cast as a money-grubbing, princess that does not repect Jack. Granted, women and men are fundamentally different and relationships need work. However we are not meant to gain complete fulfilment from a single relationship, contrary to a lot of romance stories from mainstream media.
Ennis' conflict about his relationship with Jack and being openly gay is rooted in his upbringing. In particular, Ennis' father showed him at a young age "what homosexuals deserve and get: a barbaric, vigilante execution." This seems to suggest that any objection to homosexuality is barbaric and irrational. Naturally, in a free country one person does not get to impose his morality on another. But there must be something said for social norms that benefit society and a harmony between physical and emotional engagements.
In summary, Brokeback Mountain was a challenging and entertaining experience. However I would be wary of recommending it to anyone who is not aware of political messaging in movies.
My history with TV and movies goes back to early childhood so many of my viewing habits are deeply ingrained. One of those habits has been to suspend disbelief and treat what I'm seeing as 'truth' and useful for drawing conclusions. Naturally this is deeply flawed and lately I've been trying to see the politics that is present in many movies. There is plenty of these subtle and not-so-subtle political messages woven into movies. It's not just 'moving with the times'; there are elements of activism that rightly see the entertainment industry as a vehicle for propaganda. This has always been the case but it's a little scary to someone like me who has not been terribly aware of politics until recently.
Homosexuality has a major stigma attached and I can see how my thinking has evolved. Many gay people are not monsters, which tends to conflict with how I used to regard the phenomenon. But I choose to stop well short of how many gay rights activists would like me to regard the subject. I believe that some urges or desires I experience are best left alone and not encouraged nor indulged. I will teach the same to my children and will encourage them to engage in relationships that can reach full and natural expression in the complimentary design of male and female bodies.
As for specific messages in the movie...
The relationship between the two cowboys starts out under flawed circumstances with an aggressive seduction of a drunk Ennis while he is all-but asleep. For this I must acknowledge the writers for not portraying a completely biased scenario.
The female partners in the show are not portrayed constructively. Ennis' wife comes across burdensome, controlling and totally unrelatable. While Jack's wife is cast as a money-grubbing, princess that does not repect Jack. Granted, women and men are fundamentally different and relationships need work. However we are not meant to gain complete fulfilment from a single relationship, contrary to a lot of romance stories from mainstream media.
Ennis' conflict about his relationship with Jack and being openly gay is rooted in his upbringing. In particular, Ennis' father showed him at a young age "what homosexuals deserve and get: a barbaric, vigilante execution." This seems to suggest that any objection to homosexuality is barbaric and irrational. Naturally, in a free country one person does not get to impose his morality on another. But there must be something said for social norms that benefit society and a harmony between physical and emotional engagements.
In summary, Brokeback Mountain was a challenging and entertaining experience. However I would be wary of recommending it to anyone who is not aware of political messaging in movies.
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