Reply #5: I strongly disagree that the movie was cliched or stereotyped

[TechBear_Seattle]

I will agree, though, that the one and only sex scene could leave a negative impression. It would have been nice to see other romantic interactions, even if it was just cozying by the fire on one of their trysts, or sharing a blanket while sleeping.

By and large, though, their relationship is very much how two guys raised in a very rural, very conservative ranching community would have acted. I'm one generation removed (I was born in 1967, the year when their regular "fishing trips" began in the movie) but I have known quite a few guys who could have been Ennis' or Jack's drinking buddy. And I grew up in rural southern Arizona; I can assure you that things were much the same in the mid 80s as they were in the mid 60s and 70s. Even today, there are a great many married men who would rather have a wife and the occasional "fishing buddy" (great euphemism) than to admit they prefer men; many of them are only in their 20s and 30s.

Part of the reason for the characters' supression of their sexual orientation is the fact that gay bashings were very, very real. It is easy to forget that nowadays, when many people live in liberal cities with anti-discrimination laws. But gay people -- particularly gay men -- are still being beaten to death throughout the country, and it was much more common 60 years ago, when the incident told by Ennis would have happened. That is not killing off "tragic reminders of the dangers" of being gay, that was the reality that Ennis and Jack faced.

"Brokeback Mountain" is, essentially, a period piece. Just because it is set from 1963 to about 1980 rather than Victorian England or the Tang Dynasty does not make that any less true. This is about two men raised in a very oppressive environment -- remember when Ennis said he was raised by Pentecostals? who could not afford to be open because, in a very real way, their lives depended on them staying in the closet. That things have changed in the 25 to 40 years is irrelevant; evaluating the movie based on today's attitudes and reality is just plain ignorant.