At a recent Halloween party, an attendee (who was ironically dressed up like a cowboy) reeled in horror at the mention of Brokeback Mountain and that someone there, whom he’d never met, liked the film.
It was evident why he didn’t like it: to him, it was a movie about gay cowboys. That’s too on the nose, though, and a gross simplification.
But it’s not because of Jack. It’s because Ennis and Jack love each other and can find no way to deal with that. “Brokeback Mountain” has been described as “a gay cowboy movie,” which is a cruel simplification. It is the story of a time and place where two men are forced to deny the only great passion either one will ever feel. Their tragedy is universal. It could be about two women, or lovers from different religious or ethnic groups–any “forbidden” love.
He was an artless turd and proud of it.