Ennis del Mar is a guy who embodies the traditional. Very restrained in his emotions and unexpressive. This is partly because he was conditioned (traumatized) from his childhood that a lifestyle beyond the norm is scorned at and even punished. He once experienced a life of plenty until his parents died and left them only $24 on a coffee can. He was taken cared of by his brother & sister. Her sister married a rough neck and took off. He and his brother found job on some ranch and later on got married. Ennis was then left alone and jumps from one casual job to another & now found himself working on Brokeback Mountain for a summer job. He is living within his means and works double time to feed himself. Being independent most of his life, he learned how to be domesticated. He denies himself of simple pleasures to prioritize what is essential.
Jack Twist has a different struggle to contend with. He has his parents, but his father is very secretive, unsupportive and doesn’t share his thoughts. His dad never see him ride his favorite sport --- rodeo. I guess it was his way of getting attention from his dad. He is not as worried regarding financial matters and knows how to get extra income by doing rodeo. His personality is totally different from Ennis. He is outspoken, endearing & funny. Has a sense of initiative and brave enough to express his emotions. He has no negative stigma attached to a queer relationship.
Brokeback mountain served as a venue for these two unique individuals to discover a relationship that is beyond the norm. They never said “I love you” to each other. Their actuations was louder than the words itself. Love was a force that they can’t handle. It was like a raging flood hitting them right infront of their face. They tried to deny it but to no avail. Their unspoken emotions haunts them every single day of their lives even if they were miles apart. It was the guiding force that makes their existence more exciting & worth living.
Ennis has no clear plans, but is well aware that there is a possibility. He just doesn’t want Jack to give up the comfortable life he is in right now. Probably, Ennis is afraid that Jack might end up like him, broke & broken. Amidst all these, Jack remained optimistic and never gave up on that dream that they will one day live together and be “like this always”. He is just waiting for Ennis to give the go signal. Unfortunately, Ennis is not aware that Jack had already laid the plans and he just dismissed it as a wishful thinking. They thought that meeting up on the mountain every now & then is enough, until finally after almost 20 years on one of their trips, their feelings for each other welled-up. Jack was missing Ennis so much that twice or thrice a year of meeting is not just enough. Ennis is too much for him to handle. He wants their relationship to transcend what they had in Brokeback and move on with what they truly feel for each other. Ennis likewise admitted that he is going nowhere in his life because of Jack. A passionate moment of disclosure before he lost Jack in a tragic accident. It was a painful thought that Ennis was the last to know about this event. Now he was left with the shirt & jacket, stained with blood, that they wore when they were in Brokeback more two decades ago. It remained a testament of their unspoken, yet undying love for each other. Just like Ennis said, “Jack, I swear…”
This story of friendship struck me to the core. The first embrace when they met after four years was for me an explosion of pure love & passion. Two mature men, each had a life of their own, had another life living in their minds that was long overdue for fulfillment. As I see my previous relationships, no one has come close to what the movie portrayed. It may seem ideal but it is possible. This has raised the bar on how I or everyone should view friendships or relationships. Expressing your true feelings and taking the risk is what people lack. We deny each other the truth that the other must hear and finding ourselves hurt in the end. So many lessons learned, I hope we all come to realize it. This has made an impact on me and allowed me to be more careful on my emotions. The passion in friendship & love is what we need to give life into it.
