Left to my own devices

Actor Heath Ledger passed away eleven years ago this past Tuesday. I was reminded of this, and the impact of the movie  Brokeback Mountain , by an article from Attitude magazine. In truth, I'd forgotten just how powerful of a viewing experience it was, seeing that film for the first time. Brokeback Mountain , the story of two male ranch hands who fall in love during the early 1960s, was released in cinemas in late 2005. It was based on a short story by Annie Proulx. I read the story before watching the movie, and it didn't lessen the film's impact one bit. Brokeback Mountain wasn't playing near us yet, and we were anxious to see it. So, Ashley & I joined our friends Kevin and Brandon on a sojourn to Chicago in early 2006. There, in one of those movie-going experiences I'll likely always remember, we sat in the darkness of the theater and took-in the images on the screen. Images of heartache, shame, and of love.

While many of us remember our first kiss, or falling in love for the first time, how many times have we been convinced of witnessing the depiction of those same emotions on the silver screen? Granted, it may not be something a lot of folks think about, but for me, romance in the movies can have the power to incredibly stir the soul, make me flinch awkwardly in my seat, or just flat-out laugh. After recently viewing the wonderful new movie Lady Bird , and being completely swept-up in the fledgling  romance of the title character and her classmate Danny, it reminded me of how I'm a sucker for a well-done movie romance. In order for me to be convinced of the  adoration onscreen, pretty much everything has to be right -- the script, the acting, the score, the direction, editing, etc. It all has to set the right mood and believability. That isn't always an easy task. Most films run between 90 and 120 minutes. That isn't a terribly long time to introduce us to characters,...