Brokeback Mountain ⁞⁞ Queer Classics

This week marked the 20th anniversary of Brokeback Mountain's wide release in U.S. theaters. Since its release, the iconic drama remains a force in pop culture and a staple in the pantheon of queer film classics. Beginning in the Wyoming summer of 1963, Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) cross paths for the first time, both looking to secure much needed work as shepherds. Paired together, the two embark on a journey through the mountains, herding sheep. Their tenuous partnership eventually turns to mutual respect which ignites a spark of sexual tension that changes their lives forever. Despite a clear interest in one another, both move on to start families with women, as expected by society at the time. Ennis marries Alma (Michelle Williams) and fathers two children. Meanwhile Jack, unable to find a meaningful connection with another man, turns his focus to Lureen (Anne Hathaway).

As time passes, Ennis and Jack are unable to fully break their connection, leading to occasional trysts and bonding time in the mountains, away from the world that would never understand their love. Things take a turn in Ennis's unhappy marriage when Alma spies the two men kissing after Jack arrives for a visit. Ennis's marriage crumbles, while Jack suffers under the judgmental weight of his in-laws, yearning for a future with his true love Ennis. With decades passing, Ennis remains unable to upend his life enough to please Jack's dream of a real life together. Ultimately, fate intervenes and Jack is killed, in what is hinted to be a homophobic attack. Ennis is left crushed, struggling to pick up the pieces of his heart. He gathers key mementos of his time with Jack from his lover's grieving family and finally says goodbye.

Queer Classic Film Facts:

The film was based on the short story of the same name, written by Annie Proulx, first published in 1997. Since the release of the film, it has also been adapted into an opera and a stage production.
Nominated for eight Academy Awards in 2006, the film won three. Director Ang Lee made history with his win for Best Directing as the first Asian nominee to receive the award. The film also won for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score.
Though they did not win, both Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal were both nominated for Academy Awards, with Ledger nominated as Lead Actor and Gyllenhaal nominated for Supporting Actor. Gyllenhaal would win a BAFTA award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. Ledger would go on to win a posthumous Academy Award for his supporting performance in The Dark Knight.
Among the film's many 2006 accolades were the Critics Choice Award for Best Picture and the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film - Wide Release.
Heath Ledger & Michelle Williams struck up a romance of their own while filming Brokeback Mountain. Williams gave birth to their daughter shortly before the film premiered. Jake Gyllenhaal is the child's godfather.
During its first weekend of release, Brokeback Mountain set a record for the highest per-screen gross of any non-animated film in history. It was also the first film to be released on DVD and as a download on the same day.
Director Ang Lee was no stranger to queer films, as he had previously directed the acclaimed 1993 comedy The Wedding Banquet, which was recently remade in 2025.
This was not the first film where Michelle Williams played a minor antagonist to a queer protagonist, as she previously appeared in the comedy But I'm a Cheerleader, in a role that saw her helping lead an intervention for a closeted lesbian classmate. Conversely, Williams's television career is most notable for her role on Dawson's Creek, where her character Jen became best friends with her gay schoolmate Jack, played by Kerr Smith.
Though the film was officially banned in China, which cited it as a film of niche interest not warranting a release, it became one of the biggest bootleg titles, flooding the Chinese home video market. Chinese media, however, openly celebrated Lee's historic Academy Award win.
Diana Ossana, who shares the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay with Larry McMurty, would later pen another queer-focused script with her most recent writing credit, the 2020 drama Joe Bell.