What more can be said about "Brokeback Mountain?"

Does there remain a single person who has not debated, questioned, pondered, vilified, applauded or at least heard about Ang Lee's widely lauded drama concerning two gay cowboys? The film has been discussed to death, not least because it came up short in the race for best picture at the Academy Awards.

"Brokeback" is a masterfully made film - that much has never been questioned. The issue with the film has always been grounded in whether America is ready to accept - without question or awkward smiles - a gay love story. As the film is released on DVD, the question becomes, have we reached a point where "Brokeback" can fade away and become just another great film, or must it remain famous for our refusal to assimilate its subject matter into our collective social psyche?

In case you haven't heard, the film centers around two cowboys - Ennis (Heath Ledger, "The Patriot") and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal, "The Day After Tomorrow") - who fall in love while working together in the summer of '63 in a rural outpost that lends the film its name. Ennis and Jack struggle with their feelings, each knowing all too well the repercussions if their secret relationship was made public.

In a time when homosexuality was more than just frowned upon (the '60s), and in a place where it's still frowned upon (rural America), the young men must pretend the other doesn't exist and somehow move on with their lives. Each gets married, has kids and settles down hundreds of miles away from the other. Yet even against their own wishes, they continue to meet at Brokeback several times a year, aggravating the frustration of their inability to leave behind a life they clearly cannot continue to live.

Far more than attempting to normalize homosexuality, the most significant contribution of "Brokeback" is the way it humanizes the issue by showing the profound struggles of those involved. Cleverly, the story chooses to manipulate America's most enduring icon - the cowboy - in attempting to tell a tale that is clearly more American than some of us would like to believe. The picturesque backdrops and a solemn, sentimental score - both common in Hollywood love stories - remind us that, above trailblazing and controversial, "Brokeback" at its heart is still a love story.

While for the time being it may be important to emphasize that this is a gay love story so as to ensure its content is not overlooked, will "Brokeback" ever become just another Hollywood love story? Is our society ready to accept its subject matter without a double take or must the film always have an asterisk next to it? By all means, buy the DVD, but, odd as it sounds, the longer "Brokeback" remains a focus of debate, the less prepared our society is to accept it and move on.

Film: 4 out of 5 stars

Special Features: 3 out of 5 stars

Brokeback Mountain
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