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Twenty years on, Brokeback Mountain rides again, not as a film, but as a feeling that never left. Ang Lee’s aching, windswept masterpiece is returning to the big screen from June 22 to 25 for its 20th anniversary, not just to be remembered, but to be relived. What once cracked Hollywood’s polished surface with a whisper of forbidden love has, over time, become a roaring classic that refuses to be boxed in, labeled, or forgotten.
When it first arrived in 2005, it didn’t just shift the conversation; it split it wide open. Brokeback Mountain wasn't just about queer love and cowboys; it was about all the spaces and years it took for queerness to have a place in the widespread concept of love, and through Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger's portrayal of Jack and Ennis, it reached an audience that continues to celebrate it decades later.
And now, Focus Features is bringing it back with limited screenings, new artwork, and a fresh wave of heartbreak. This isn’t just a rerelease; it's a homecoming for a film that has touched on cinema and queer culture in indefinite ways.
In 2022, Gyllenhaal spoke about the movie in an interview with Vanity Fair and how Ledger advocated for its narrative, as he told the outlet,
“The relationship between Heath and me while making this movie was based on a profound love for many people we knew and were raised by. A deep respect for their love and their relationships. There were many jokes being made about the movie, or poking fun at, things like that. And [Ledger’s] consummate devotion to how serious and important the relationship between these two characters was—it showed me how devoted he was as an actor and how devoted we both were to the story and the movie.”
What is Brokeback Mountain about?
In 1963, up in the wild stillness of Brokeback Mountain, two young cowboys, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, take a summer herding job that changes everything. One drunken night in a tent leads to something neither of them can name. They fall into a love that’s messy, physical, emotional, and absolutely not allowed. When the job ends, so does the world they made. They split. Ennis marries a woman named Alma. Jack marries Lureen. But neither forgets.
Years pass. Jack shows up again. Their reunion kiss, raw and desperate, is seen by Alma. Jack wants a life together. Ennis, terrified by what he saw as a child, a man beaten to death for being queer, can’t do it. So they keep sneaking away on fishing trips. Their marriages crumble. Their love doesn’t.
They fight. They ache. Ennis can’t give Jack anymore, and Jack starts looking elsewhere. One day, a postcard Ennis sends comes back stamped “deceased." Jack dies, and Ennis carries out his last wish- for his ashes to be scattered all over Brokeback Mountain.
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The film won three Oscars and lost the Best Picture title to Crash- a decision that is still debated by cinephiles and critics alike. But beyond the awards, Brokeback Mountain achieved something that surpasses any award- a legacy and a devoted fan base that continues to cherish the film decades later.
Brokeback Mountain will be available in select theaters from June 22 to 25. Tickets are now on sale.
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