This Is Not The Point

From Plugged In Online's review of Brokeback Mountain, specifically the "Positive Elements" portion:

Usually it's a negative thing when people give in to the societal norms around them and give up on their dreams, refuse to step across racial divides, etc. But here, Ennis' reluctance to live with Jack is a good example of how established—biblical—morality within a culture can help people make right decisions. It could be argued that Ennis' reluctance is rooted in mortal fear. After all, he did witness the aftermath of a hate crime when he was a boy. But there's more to it than that. The social pressure he feels to marry a woman isn't shown to be directed at him maliciously or aggressively. (And it isn't even a pressure so strong that it keeps him from repeatedly having sex with Jack.)

In an interview with Plugged In Online, Caleb H. Price, a socialresearch analyst on homosexuality and gender for Focus on the Family, identified several other ways the film, sometimes unwittingly, hints at the dangers of homosexuality. "Contrary to the nearly ubiquitous modern portrayals of homosexuality, in Brokeback Mountain the lifestyle is neither glamorous nor normal and healthy," he said. "We see that each character had root causes to his same-sex attraction. And then we see their God-given desires to be affirmed by members of the same sex met in sinful, ungodly ways. We see the soul ties that come along with carnal relations and the ensuing devastation to wives and marriages when the forbidden fruit is eaten. Also, the film clearly depicts the homosexuality of the characters as bondage. In one scene Jack exclaims profound exasperation that he and Ennis are not able to 'quit' each other. One can't help but wonder what their respective lives might have been like had they poured their energy and attention into their wives, families and careers instead of homosexuality."

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