History Film / BrokebackMountain

And no, [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark at no point do they eat pudding in this movie.]]

In 1963 Wyoming, two young cowboys, Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist, take a summer job herding sheep on the slopes of the titular mountain. Over two months, the men (almost completely isolated from the rest of the world) first strike up a friendship, then a romance. However, they mutually see this as ending along with the job, especially as Ennis is engaged to Alma Beers back home. They go their separate ways; Ennis marries Alma and raises a family with her, and Jack finds his own wife and family with Lureen Newsome.

----

-->'''From the short story''': "Ennis pulled Jack's hand to his mouth, took a hit from the cigarette, exhaled. "Sure as hell seem in one piece to me. You know, I was sittin up here all that time tryin to figure out if I was-? I know I ain't. I mean here we both got wives and kids, right? I like doin' it with women, yeah, but Jesus H., ain't nothin' like this. I never had no thoughts a doin it with another guy except I sure wrang it out a hundred times thinkin about you. You do it with other guys? Jack?"

The film adaptation was written by Larry [=McMurtry=] & Diana Osanna and directed by Creator/AngLee, and starred Creator/HeathLedger as Ennis and Creator/JakeGyllenhaal as Jack. It got a lot of attention before it premiered simply for the premise; soon it was widely known as "the gay cowboy movie"[[note]]Even though they were shepherds, not cowboys[[/note]]. Between praise from many film critics and massive controversy thanks to MoralGuardians, the film became a box-office success, growing over 10 times its modest budget. It evoked some HypeBacklash and inspired '''many''' spoofs, but it also touched a lot of hearts. It went on to win Oscars for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. To this day, it's still considered one of the most important films in the history of LGBTQ+ visibility and is considered by many to [[GenreTurningPoint open the floodgate for queer entertainment to enter the mainstream]]. Was arguably remembered even more fondly [[DeadArtistsAreBetter following Heath Ledger's death]].

The film adaptation was directed by Creator/AngLee and starred Creator/HeathLedger as Ennis and Creator/JakeGyllenhaal as Jack. It got a lot of attention before it premiered simply for the premise; soon it was widely known as "the gay cowboy movie"[[note]]Even though they were shepherds, not cowboys[[/note]]. Between praise from many film critics and massive controversy thanks to MoralGuardians, the film became a box-office success, growing over 10 times its modest budget. It evoked some HypeBacklash and inspired '''many''' spoofs, but it also touched a lot of hearts. It went on to win Oscars for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. To this day, it's still considered one of the most important films in the history of LGBTQ+ visibility and is considered by many to [[GenreTurningPoint open the floodgate for queer entertainment to enter the mainstream]]. Was arguably remembered even more fondly [[DeadArtistsAreBetter following Heath Ledger's death]].

* GayCowboy: One of the most famous examples. [[YouKeepUsingThatWord Except that they're shepherds.]]

* BusinessTripAdultery: Ennis and Jack grow fond of eachother while watching sheep over the winter. Although purely for monetary gain in the beginning, Ennis cheats on his fiancee Alma with Jack on the mountain, and does so for many years. The initial sheep guarding was not a conventional business transaction, but it was a business trip to some degree.

* FixFic: There's an abundance of fanfics of this that [[spoiler:diverge from the canon of the story and film, keeping Jack alive so he and Ennis can work toward a happy ending with one another]].

%%* {{Gayngst}}: Both lead male protagonists are in love but they must maintain any relationship in secret and both men knowingly cannot act on it in public or they will be killed. Given the time period and the characters' backgrounds, this is somewhat inevitable.

%%* InnocentCohabitation: Jack and Ennis during their summer on Brokeback Mountain. At first...then they have a sexual encounter and fall in love.

%%* LongDistanceRelationship: Seeing that the two of them lives in different states, this trope comes into play.

* GayCowboy: One of the most famous examples. [[YouKeepUsingThatWord Except that they're bisexual shepherds.]]
%%* {{Gayngst}}: Both lead male protagonists are bisexual and in love but they must maintain any relationship in secret and both men knowingly cannot act on it in public or they will be killed. Given the time period and the characters' backgrounds, this is somewhat inevitable.

->'''Ennis:''' We can get together... once in a while, way the hell out in the middle of nowhere, but...\\
'''Jack:''' Once in a while? Every four fuckin' years?\\
'''Ennis:''' If you can't fix it, Jack, you gotta stand it.\\
'''Jack:''' For how long?\\
'''Ennis:''' For as long as we can ride it. There ain't no reins on this one.

%%* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: Their cultural background demanded it as an absolute.

%%* InnocentCohabitation: Jack and Ennis during their summer on Brokeback Mountain. At first..

%%* ManlyGay

* TheBeard: Both boys have them. But whereas Lureen dispassionately manages Jack's accounts and is semi-aware of his habits, Ennis neglects and resents the women in his life.

%%* {{Gayngst}}: Given the time period and the characters' backgrounds, this is somewhat inevitable.

-->"I ain't queer."

%%* InnocentCohabitation: Jack and Ennis during their summer on Brokeback Mountain.

* BuryMeNotOnTheLonePrairie[[spoiler:: Jack requested for his ashes to be scattered on Brokeback Mountain. It couldn't be realized, however, because his parents were adamant on burying his ashes on family plot.]]

* {{Gayngst}}: Given the time period and the characters' backgrounds, this is somewhat inevitable.
* GoodParents: Jack's Mother, as far as we can tell. [[spoiler:When Ennis shows up after Jack's death, they seem pretty clear on what his relationship was with their son, while Jack's father makes it clear he viewed his son as a failure, Jack's mother is clearly devastated by her son's death and welcomes Ennis. She asks him to come by for another visit in the future and lets him take Jack's shirt - even placing it in a bag for him.]]
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: Their cultural background demanded it as an absolute.

* HomophobicHateCrime: Jack [[spoiler:dies in an "accident"]] that Ennis, Jack's male lover, suspects was actually a hate crime.

* InnocentCohabitation: Jack and Ennis during their summer on Brokeback Mountain.

* LieBackAndThinkOfEngland: Judging by Ennis's sexual position with Alma.
* LongDistanceRelationship: Seeing that the two of them lives in different states, this trope comes into play.

* SceneryPorn: Mostly in the beginning of the film, during the summer Jack and Ennis spend on Brokeback, but makes a comeback during their fishing trips over the years.

* GoodAdulteryBadAdultery: The entire movie.

* GayCowboy: One of the most famous examples. [[YouKeepUsingThatWord Except that they're shepherds.]]

* YourCheatingHeart: They cheat on their respective wives with each other when they reunite.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Jack dies in what is implied to be a hate crime, and Ennis is left broken and alone, unable to maintain a stable relationship after his divorce from his wife and separation from Jack, and the only keepsake of Jack is one of his shirts.]]

The film adaptation was directed by Creator/AngLee and starred Creator/HeathLedger as Ennis and Creator/JakeGyllenhaal as Jack. It got a lot of attention before it premiered simply for the premise; soon it was widely known as "the gay cowboy movie"[[note]]Even though they were shepherds, not cowboys[[/note]]. Between praise from many film critics and massive controversy thanks to MoralGuardians, the modestly-budgeted film became a profitable box-office success. It evoked some HypeBacklash and inspired '''many''' spoofs, but it also touched a lot of hearts. It went on to win Oscars for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. To this day, it's still considered one of the most important films in the history of LGBTQ+ visibility and is considered by many to [[GenreTurningPoint open the floodgate for queer entertainment to enter the mainstream]]. Was arguably remembered even more fondly [[DeadArtistsAreBetter following Heath Ledger's death]].

The film adaptation was directed by Creator/AngLee and starred Creator/HeathLedger as Ennis and Creator/JakeGyllenhaal as Jack. It got a lot of attention before it premiered simply for the premise; soon it was widely known as "the gay cowboy movie"[[note]]Even though they were shepherds, not cowboys[[/note]]. Between praise from many film critics and massive controversy thanks to MoralGuardians, the modestly-budgeted film became a profitable box-office success. It evoked some HypeBacklash and inspired '''many''' spoofs, but it also touched a lot of hearts. It went on to win Oscars for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. To this day, it's still considered one of the most important films in the history of LGBTQ+ visibility. Was arguably remembered even more fondly [[DeadArtistsAreBetter following Heath Ledger's death]].

''Brokeback Mountain'' originated as a 1997 short story by Annie Proulx but became a household name by way of a faithful 2005 [[TheFilmOfTheBook film adaptation]].

* TragicKeepsake[[spoiler:: Jack and Ennis' shirts they last wore on Brokeback Mountain. Jack kept the shirts as a memento in his childhood closet, and they later became this for Ennis after Jack's death.]]