Brokeback Mountain

The controversy surrounding the gay aspect of this movie is masking, particularly for those who have not seen it, or see it from a prejudiced point of view, its powerful universal theme. This movie could just as easily be about two women, a man and a woman from different faiths, or even an accountant who failed to fulfil his life-long ambition of being a film critic. It is essentially about the tragedy of denying your life’s great passion. The two leads, Jake Gyllenhaal and especially Heath Ledger (go Aussie!) provide meticulously crafted performances, managing to convey a great deal of emotion with very few words. Ang Lee adds another dimension to his already astonishing range as a director (Hulk, Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, etc). The film is beautiful to look at and the ageing of the characters is done with uncommon subtlety and realism. A worthy Oscar contender.