Brokeback Mountain
I (unsurprisingly) managed to cause a miniture uproar by slamming Lost in Translation, being reminded that it is wonderfully “subtle” with beautiful cinematography. I’d like to fight back with a review of a film which embodies both these characteristics while also having the crucial factor that is missing from Lost in Translation; a compelling plot.
Essentially, Brokeback Mountain and Lost in Translation are very similar films; both are stories about two people who can’t be together, but while one of them shuffles along with little to capture the emotion, the other is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen.
The strength of this movie lies in its director and its cast. Ang Lee’s cinematography is truly mesmerising, with shots that would look just as at home on the wall of a photography gallery, but this is combined with career making performances from Ledger and Gyllenhaal which make the story so thought-provoking and so tragic. Ledger in particular, manages to portray so much while saying so little. This was the movie he should have got an Oscar for, although he will get one for Batman.
The score of Brokeback is also brilliant, written by the relatively unknown Gustavo Santaolalla and adding that final detail that makes this movie one of the best ever made.
So here is an example of a subtle plot and sweeping cinematography put together to make a film which has a real effect, and definitely one that I think everyone needs to see.
The Stories That Really Mattered 
So, LiT doesn’t have a plot? It has no more of a plot than Ulysses, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest works of literature of the 20th Century. Plots aren’t necessarily needed. 😛
jerichokb
January 21, 2009
But there’s got to be something worth watching there. And I never found it in LiT. I think you need to get over it now ;P
Katie
January 21, 2009
[…] and Alberto are and how difficult the early part of their journey is. It reminded me a lot of Brokeback Mountain, even more so thanks to composer Gustavo Santoalalla, who worked on both, using a very traditional […]
Medics in the Movies: The Motorcycle Diaries « The Stories That Really Mattered
December 7, 2010