Brokeback Mountain is still the most important love story 20 years on

Brokeback Mountain is officially 20 years old, and it remains one of the most important love stories ever told.

Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal starred in this Oscar-winning film, which was initially released in cinemas on December 9, 20 years ago today.

Gyllenhaal, then 24, and 25-year-old Ledger told a story about two cowboys living in Western America in the 1960s, who fell in love with one another during a time and place where they might have been killed for their romance.

The film was certainly not the first to explore a homosexual relationship between two men, but it has become one of the most important films for the evolution of Pride in Hollywood cinema.

In 2005, the film was incredibly well-received and lauded with Oscar nominations.

But with the success also came criticism from religious and conservative groups who felt the story was somehow immoral, and not something fit for public consumption.

The noughties

Brokeback is a tragic tale of star-crossed lovers, on par with the likes of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and had a systemic impact on the film industry.

The film’s significance cannot be understated, and thinking about the flagrantly homophobic and misogynistic movies being released in 2005, it’s startling.

The noughties were the era of casual homophobia that no one blinked an eye at, and representation stopped at chucking in a two-dimensional gay character into the script who hit every stereotype on the lazy writing checklist.

Straight actors playing gay men on screen is not uncommon today and is controversial for an entirely different reason than it once was. Rather than the issue at hand being taken a role that perhaps could be played by a gay actor, actors were told this kind of role was career suicide.

The roles were turned down by the likes of Matt Damon, Edward Norton, and Joel Schumacher turned down the role before Ledger and Gyllenhaal were cast in 2003.

Director Ang Lee told The New York Times that she had the utmost respect for the actors taking on the film.

‘I appreciated the two actors doing those roles back then,’ said Lee.

‘When I interviewed some actors, I was just like, “I’m a good director and that’s a good story. They should be jumping for it.” But you would see the hesitation in a lot of them, but these two guys, they didn’t hesitate, so I give them credit for that.’

Backlash

Diana Ossana, one of Brokeback’s producers and screenwriters,recalled in an interview with The New York Times that the reception to the film was not entirely positive, with people leaving the cinema during intimate sex scenes.

‘The theatres were all packed because everybody was so curious about this movie. And when the sex scene between the boys came on, you’d see some people got up and left, but not very many.

‘At the end of the film, nobody would leave. They would just sit there nailed to their seats until the lights came on, and there would be people crying.’

Famously, during a news conference at the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival, Ledger addressed those with homophobic views who called the film ‘disgusting.’

‘I think it’s really immature for one. But I think it’s an incredible shame that people go out of their way to voice their disgust or negative opinions about the way two people wish to love one another. I mean, come on,’ he said.

Gyllenhaal told Sunday Today in 2019 that Ledger always took the film’s subject matter seriously: ‘That’s the thing I loved about Heath. He would never joke. Someone wanted to make a joke about the story or whatever, he was like, “No. This is about love. Like, that’s it, man. Like, no.”’

Ledger also shut down homophobic jokes about Brokeback Mountain at the Oscars, with Gyllenhaal revealing Ledger’s actions years after his death.

‘I mean, I remember they wanted to do an opening for the Academy Awards that year that was sort of joking about it,’ Gyllenhaal told AnotherMan in 2020.

‘And Heath refused. I was sort of at the time, “Oh, okay… whatever.” I’m always like: it’s all in good fun. And Heath said, “It’s not a joke to me – I don’t want to make any jokes about it.”‘

The actor added that his co-star was ‘absolutely’ smart in hindsight.

Infamously, Brokeback Mountain lost out at the Oscars, controversially losing out on the Academy Award for best picture to Crash.

The Academy was then accused of homophobia and for making a non-groundbreaking choice that wouldn’t upset the apple cart in the same way.

Despite losing out on best picture, the film paved the way for films like Moonlight, which won the best picture in 2017 (after La La Land was accidentally awarded the same prize).

Legacy

As always with progression, things happen slowly. In the 20 years since Brokeback was released, a lot has changed, and now we can enjoy gay love on screen in (almost) its full spectrum.

Pictures about gay romances have become popular in recent years, with films such as Pillion, All of Us Strangers, God’s Own Country, Moonlight, and Call Me By Your Name all exploring the nuances of men loving men.

Of course, there is still some way to go. Films exploring gay relationships still manage to find new stereotypes or pigeon holes in which to place their characters.

Is it possible for screenwriters to let both characters be out and proud?

Rather than introducing a big ole closet where one of them is hiding and eventually comes out in a big dramatic moment.

Will lesbians ever be able to fall in love in a blockbuster without it being a forbidden period drama that ultimately, inevitably ends in heartbreak?

The stereotypes aren’t great, and when comparing movie themes, it’s easy to flag how behind LGBTQ+ stories are.

Pillion is Fifty Shades of Grey’s gay counterpart, yet it is coming out almost a decade later (and with much less success) than the OG sexy BDSM films.

Similarly, while there may be a million trashy Christmas romcoms for straight couples, gay characters are still nearly always sidekicks in cheesy romcoms and never make it quite to the centre stage. The LGBTQ+ community is forced to be content with just watching Happiest Season on repeat until such time as the Brokeback Mountain of the festive season is released.

It’s mind-boggling to fathom which moving and impactful films that have shaped our culture over the past 20 years may have never been made had Brokeback not broken down barriers. It’s a film that continues to shape our conversations and has had an impact that will likely span decades to come.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.