best movie of the year? brokeback mountain is up there!

i had heard reports about how amazing this film was (especially after winning the golden lion for best picture at venice film festival this year), but i had to experience brokeback mountain for myself.

based on the short story brokeback mountain, annie proulx award winning short story was first published 8 years ago in the new yorker magazine. adapted for the big screen by pulitzer prize writer larry mcmurtry and diana ossana, it wasn't until ang lee's agreement to take on directorial duties, did the film finally take shape.

reserved yet heartbreaking, the tragic love between two cowboys spans two decades of their stolen intimacies. yearning for what they experienced when they first met on brokeback mountain, ennis (heath ledger) and jack (jake gyllenhaal) return annually to capture what little moments they can together.

under another director, this film could easily have taken the melodramatic route. but the deft subtle hand of director ang lee guides amazing performances out of a bottled up heath ledger paired up with the openess of jake.

in the end, brokeback mountain manages to stay deep within you long after its quietly powerful last frame.