024 - Brokeback Mountain, or Does Ang Lee Know What Gay Sex Is?

Jack Twist? Jack NASTY! That's right, get ready to get into one of the most highly-esteemed gay films of our generation, Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain from 2005. In case you've somehow managed to miss this one in the last 18 years, this film follows the years-long illicit affair between two shepherds, Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal). What starts as a romantic fling while working together one summer soon becomes an emotional attachment that they just can't quit, even while building separate lives hundreds of miles apart. This movie continues to impress your hosts, from gorgeous cinematography, an impeccable supporting cast (including Oscar nominee Michelle Williams), and a touching screenplay that we think leaves just enough room for some ambiguity. This film also holds a reputation as being one of the biggest Oscar snubs of recent film history, losing Best Picture to Paul Haggis' Crash, a loss that continues to boggle minds. What would have kept audiences from connecting with these characters strong enough for that win? Does Ang Lee know how gay sex happens? Will Kevin stop bringing up Memoirs of a Geisha? This and more in this week's Cinema Very Gay! Speaking of more, the sun is soon setting on our queer-coded Disney villain mini-series, but we couldn't end without discussing the usurper king, Scar, voiced by Jeremy Irons in Disney's Lion King (1994). This sniveling and scheming lion all but tells the audience that he's more into lions than lionesses! Scar gives us some familiar coded tropes (the smaller stature, the sibilant sneer), but we still can't help but have fun with his dryness. Be prepared! It's a good episode.