As overpowering as the simplistic yet effective overtures of loneliness, isolation from the world and unabashed passion are in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, the one aspect to the film that catches you by both shoulders and demands your attention is the most simple of all: love.

That may sound contrived, clichéd and lacking substance, but it is simply the truth. It would be wrong to suggest that this emotion is conveyed merely by the terrific direction and acting ability of the two main protagonists, but they do play their parts. The sparse landscapes, the cold and obtuse settings, and the lack of dialogue in the opening thirty minutes all deftly represent the type of relationship that exists between the two central characters.

And what characters they are: Ennis del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) are two cowboys barely out of their teens and grafting as much as they can to make as much money as they can. They form an unlikely friendship at the top of Brokeback Mountain, in the upper echelons of Wyoming's jagged topography, herding sheep during the summer of 1963. They share stories of their childhood over a lightweight diet of beans and whiskey; Jack does the majority of the drunken mumbling while Ennis is content to listen. A sexual relationship erupts almost from nowhere after one of these boozy sessions leads both men to share a single tent. It's a passionate, heavy-handed encounter, but neither man wants to dwell on it the following morning, despite the inevitability of its continuance. And it does continue, in the bright summer light and under the cover of autumnal darkness. However, it isn't long until a storm is forecast and both Ennis and Jack are ordered to return from the dizzy heights of Brokeback with the sheep in tow: It is time for both men to go their separate ways.

It's clear that Jack is torn up about leaving the company of a man he has experienced so much with. In contrast, Ennis's profound words of farewell extend to 'See you around'. From here the film begins to follow both Ennis's and Jack's attempts to get back to living a 'normal' life: We witness Ennis marry his girlfriend, Alma (Michelle Williams) and how both husband and wife settle into domesticity when Alma quickly bears two daughters.

Jack, badly affected by how things ended with Ennis, attempts to get his life together, but is seemingly in a rut with no way out. His fortunes change suddenly when he meets Lureen (Anne Hathaway), a Texan rodeo queen. They marry, Jack becomes a dad and he joins his father-in-law's highly successful farm-equipment business.

A number of years later Ennis, having settled in Wyoming, receives a postcard from Jack announcing he'll be in the area soon and would like to visit. Ennis's excitement is clearly visible and, as both men set eyes on each other again outside the Del Mar family home, their unquenchable passions boil over and they engage in a highly charged clinch. Unbeknownst to them, Alma Del Mar can see everything through a window.

What follows is an annual, sometimes bi-annual, 'fishing trip' that's undertaken by Ennis and Jack with no fish ever caught. Jack constantly urges Ennis to give up his marriage and elope: they could start up a ranch together and their lives wouldn't be a charade anymore. Ennis tells a tale of how, when he was a child, his father brought him to see the tortured body of a rancher who was mutilated and left for dead for living with another man. For all Jack's romance, Ennis's scarred sense of realism always frustrates what remains of their relationship.

Brokeback Mountain should resonate as a triumph for Ang Lee. His somewhat obscurantist take on the reality of cowboy life is a joy, as is the way in which the story is told. The cinematography and shot selection is masterful, with the Wyoming landscape never looking so attractive - even when locked in a raging war with the extreme weather conditions. Both Ledger and Gyllenhaal are superb, their chemistry and characterisation highly commendable. Ledger in particular sparkles when Ennis begins to unravel and disappear into comfortable middle-aged obscurity.

Proper love stories don't come around very often anymore, what with well-worn clichés, happy endings, and an altogether smug and safe vibe. Brokeback Mountain is a proper love story. Ang Lee, take a bow.

Rated 16 (see IFCO website for details)
Brokeback Mountain is released at the Irish Film Institute on 6th January and on general release on 27th January.
Brokeback Mountain – Official website