Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 American romance, drama film directed by Ang Lee The screenplay was written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry and based on the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx. The film stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as a pair of cowboys who fall in love while herding sheep on the mountainside of Wyoming. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, winning for Best Adapted Screenplay for Ossana and McMurtry.
The story of Brokeback Mountain is tragic and timeless. It follows the love story of two men, Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) who fall in love while working on a remote sheep ranch in Wyoming in the 1960s. Unfortunately, the homophobia prevalent in their time forces them to conceal their feelings and leads to a secret relationship that spans decades. The film portrays the difficult life of the couple as they try to reconcile their feelings for each other and the expectations of society.
The film has been widely praised for its honest portrayal of a forbidden love and has become a classic example of queer cinema. Below are five excellent essay topics related to Brokeback Mountain.
1. Examine the causes and consequences of homophobia in the plot of Brokeback Mountain and how they are portrayed in the film.
2. Analyze the representation of masculinity expressed by Ennis and Jack in the movie and how it changes over the course of the story.
3. Analyze the theme of repression in the film and how it affects the characters and their relationships with one another.
4. Compare and contrast the different relationships between the two main characters and their families.
5. Discuss the importance of nature and the role of the setting in the story of Brokeback Mountain.