(no subject)
So I went to go see Brokeback Mountain with C. on Thursday night. I don't get to see her very often but each time I do, I am reminded of her most excellent sense of humor. Must make it a point to hang out w/her more often. Anyway, I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into with this movie, and Corey's twangy "I cain't quit you!" declarations following me around the house for a couple of days didn't help. When I was driving to the theater, I found myself singing an old Smothers Brothers song.
"As I walked out in the streets of Laredo
As I walked out in Laredo one day,
I spied a young cowboy all dressed in white linen,
Dressed in white linen as cold as the clay.
'I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy.'
'I see by your outfit you are a cowboy, too.'
We see by our outfits that we are both cowboys,
If you get an outfit, you can be a cowboy, too."
Anyway, the movie is gorgeously bleak. Ang Lee really captured the big sky of 1960's Wyoming and the hard people who eke out a living on that unforgiving territory. It's brutal yet beautiful and sets the tone for the beauty and brutality of this relationship between two young men out alone on the range, tending an enormous herd of sheep. The two main characters were surprisingly believable. Gritty, real, imperfectly human. I didn't really like either of them but I understood them, just the same.
The movie follows the life of these two, Ennis Del Ray and Jack Twist. They both make some poor but understandable choices that set the stage for the rest of their lives. They marry girls, have babies, and live with a longing for something they really can't have. Gay or straight, boys or girls, we all have to live with a certain amount of longing for things we can't have without destroying what we've already got. It's a sad but a brave thing we do, choosing what we have over what we think we'd prefer. Sometimes it's a good decision and sometimes sticking with what we have and longing for something else is plain dishonest.
Mostly I came away glad that even though anti-gay sentiment is still everywhere, the judgment isn't quite as harsh as it once was. I'm all for people finding someone(s?) to love. It helps. And also, if you are struggling with feelings that aren't really acceptable in Wyoming, it's okay to move to California. You don't owe the land shit, son. I imagine that if you wanted to see it you already have but if you're waiting for a proclamation from yours truly, I'd have to say that it was a difficult movie to watch, really draining, and yet it's stayed in my head for a couple of days now, something that movies like King Kong rarely do. I'm glad I saw it. I never want to see it again.
"As I walked out in the streets of Laredo
As I walked out in Laredo one day,
I spied a young cowboy all dressed in white linen,
Dressed in white linen as cold as the clay.
'I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy.'
'I see by your outfit you are a cowboy, too.'
We see by our outfits that we are both cowboys,
If you get an outfit, you can be a cowboy, too."
Anyway, the movie is gorgeously bleak. Ang Lee really captured the big sky of 1960's Wyoming and the hard people who eke out a living on that unforgiving territory. It's brutal yet beautiful and sets the tone for the beauty and brutality of this relationship between two young men out alone on the range, tending an enormous herd of sheep. The two main characters were surprisingly believable. Gritty, real, imperfectly human. I didn't really like either of them but I understood them, just the same.
The movie follows the life of these two, Ennis Del Ray and Jack Twist. They both make some poor but understandable choices that set the stage for the rest of their lives. They marry girls, have babies, and live with a longing for something they really can't have. Gay or straight, boys or girls, we all have to live with a certain amount of longing for things we can't have without destroying what we've already got. It's a sad but a brave thing we do, choosing what we have over what we think we'd prefer. Sometimes it's a good decision and sometimes sticking with what we have and longing for something else is plain dishonest.
Mostly I came away glad that even though anti-gay sentiment is still everywhere, the judgment isn't quite as harsh as it once was. I'm all for people finding someone(s?) to love. It helps. And also, if you are struggling with feelings that aren't really acceptable in Wyoming, it's okay to move to California. You don't owe the land shit, son. I imagine that if you wanted to see it you already have but if you're waiting for a proclamation from yours truly, I'd have to say that it was a difficult movie to watch, really draining, and yet it's stayed in my head for a couple of days now, something that movies like King Kong rarely do. I'm glad I saw it. I never want to see it again.