When you wake up the world may have changed

You knew I was gonna have to post about Brokeback Mountain eventually, right? In deference to those who haven't caught it yet, I'm not going into any spoilery detail. I feel compelled to share my impressions, though, mostly because this movie is haunting me. I've seen it twice. I downloaded the soundtrack. I've lingered at the website, reading the production notes from all the major players. I've read the short story. Everyone knows the story by now-- cowboys in love. You've seen all the spoofs and heard all the jokes. For me, this movie transcends all that. ::cliche alert:: It's a love story for the ages. It's an oft-told tale of star-crossed lovers (Romeo and Romeo, I suppose) with special resonance for anyone who regrets not taking a chance. It's about missed opportunities. It's about the consequence of not being true to yourself. It's about the weight of self-loathing. It's about the toll all this takes on not only you, but the people around you. Sure it's gay cowboys and there's no question that was a big part of the appeal for me. If that's the part keeping you from seeing it, get over it. There's not a lot of man on man action and nothing graphic. If you can't handle seeing men kiss, you'll only have to watch between your fingers for like 30 seconds. Yeah, this is a breakthrough movie for the queer nation, but it's really about love. You know, like the tagline aptly states, love is a force of nature. Heath Ledger and Jake Gylenhaal and Michelle Williams give phenomenal performances. Ang Lee is a genius. There is so much packed into every frame. This film moves slowly/quietly but never lags. The music is perfect. There are quiet, plaintive mostly guitar bits that just rip me apart even now. Listen to 'The Wings' which plays over the final scene for an idea of what I'm talking about. This movie is haunting and fucking beautiful, people. I'd love to hear what y'all thought about it.

Added: I just read that they have taped Brokeback Oprah with both Heath and Jake on the show. If any of you bitches hears when this is airing, gimme the heads up! Also, if you haven't gone to the movie's website, you should check it out for the entries made by folks relating how the movie affected them. Some are incredibly moving. Finally, there's a good interview by one of the producers over at towleroad.