I have to say what really impressed me the most was the scope of it all. I expected it to focus by and large on the immediate aftermath of Jack and Ennis' first coupling, but to my welcome surprise the whole film had a real sweeping, epic quality to it. When the bond that they shared survives such change in their circumstances it made the whole tale that much more evocative. It shows that regardless of your gender or your approach to relationships, love is like a tick that gets under your skin and won't ever stop affecting your mental processes throughout all of your time on earth (and don't I know that that sure is the truth... !!)
Helping to emphasize these developments is some gorgeously languid direction by Lee - his camera seeming to caress the landscape he films - and also a wonderfully subtle turn from Ledger, especially. This shows Heath in a different light to any of his other films, and if he can transform himself this well, then maybe he isn't as much of a risk as I thought for Nolan's 'Joker', after all!
I don't feel qualified to say whether it was the best picture of its year, but I certainly thought that it was braver and more emotionally genuine than "Crash". If you're anybody who's going to give "Brokeback... " a shot (and I suggest that everyone does) my advice is not to concentrate on its differences, but to instead take a clearer look at the smaller intimate details that can bring us all closer together if only we choose to let them.
