In the film, Brokeback Mountain, one of the scenes that really stood out to me as being one that's sympathetic to the women's point of view was when Alma, Ennis’ wife was outside hanging laundry. She gazed out longingly as Ennis drove up from being away from what appeared to be quite some time. By the time he gets inside, she is in the kitchen washing more clothes. The house in is disarray and her children are screaming and crying in the other room. It is clear to me that Alma feels lonely and isolated. She is numb to the cries of her little girls, and allows Ennis to care for them as she finishes the household chores and gets ready for bed. Not much dialogue is in this scene, but the tones and facial expressions are enough. Alma is dissatisfied with her life. She knows something is missing in her marriage, though she won’t realize just what that is until she sees Ennis embracing and kissing another man. From her attitude and desire to have a closer bond to her husband, she already has a sense that he is not fully hers. After the children are put to bed, it is Alma who reaches out to have a physical relationship with her husband. He does not appear to be interested initially. Alma Del Mar suffers silently as she does her duties as a wife and a mother, but she desperately wants more. She wants more out of life, more from her husband, more for her children. In the few words that are exchanged in this scene, one of the things Alma does is ask Ennis if they can move into town. She feels isolated, and fears that her children will grow up isolated as well. One of her main reasons for wanting to move is so her children can have friends to play with. While this may be an overlooked scene to some, I found it one of the most telling scenes in the film, and the lonliness she faced is something that still affects many stay at home mom’s even today.
2 comments:
It is an understated but extremely important scene in the film because it show how, in just a few years, Ennis and Alma really have no connection. Maybe they never did. The film shows the wedding, and the look on Ennis's face and on Alma's certainly doesn't bode well for a happy marriage. Since we know that Ennis really loves Jack, we can only pity Alma.
That scene is indeed understated and overlooked. The scene shows the little affection and love Alma receives in her marriage. Her household is dysfunctional and she obviously is not happy with the direction her life is going. Of course marriages are not perfect and at times the family is not always on one accord but it’s the love and support that gets families and marriages through those difficult times. However, Alma didn’t have the full love and support that she was longing for. The day they got married, neither Ennis nor Alma seemed excited and in love. Marriage is supposed to be a joyous experience; it should be filled with lots of love, happiness, support and most importantly COMMITMENT. Ennis was not committed to his marriage and did not uphold the vows he took. I couldn’t help but to feel sympathetic towards her. Ennis seemed to have no emotional connection towards her anymore. The physical attraction was there but it’s not the same when feelings are not involved also.
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