First off, my sincere apologies if the aspect of this topic has been posted elsehwere. I'm sure it has but I didn't see it when I searched for it. So... I JUST saw BBM (this past weekend) and I hardly ever do postings on message boards but BBM has left such an odd (in a good way), lasting impression on me that I felt compelled to write.
In my opinion, by far BBM would never have been as successful as it was if it weren’t for the amazing 2 leads. Yes, the story was dripping with beautiful scenery, had gripping & nuanced performances by the supporting cast, and a script that was touching, sad, haunting, thoughtful, heart-breaking, evocative, daring, funny, and moving, just to name a few. : )
However, it never could’ve gotten off the ground without the 2 outstanding, unrestrained performances by Heath & Jake. While I thought they were both very good, I found Heath’s performance to be so incredibly moving. I saw myself in Ennis so often while watching that it was frightening. So many of Ennis' qualities exist in me. And I think that’s why the movie works so well. Whether you’re gay, straight, married, single, whatever... both characters (Ennis especially for me) can be found in just about all of us, if not the other way around. You relate to these guys, thier shortcomings, their foibles, their yearnings, and fear; you may have even had exact or similar experiences that they did. They are 2 regular guys who could be anyone on the street. Sure, I knew what the movie was about before I saw it but I didn't buy into all that "gay cowboy movie" tripe. In my mind, it was simply two guys who happened to be cowboys, who happened to find love, with each other. End of story. And because it is that simple makes the story that much more engaging, engrossing, and enveloping.
So, when the last few, gut-wrenching scenes were playing out, I was just a blubbery mess, crying here, sobbing there, the screen a watery blur. I hadn't read the short story, but I had seen the 30-second Bunnies “flick” before I saw the movie and I knew something happened to one of the 2 leads but I couldn’t remember who. And thinking that this was “the hook” of the movie (a beautiful love affair, a tragic ending, the old Hollywood cliche), I was absolutely & completely unprepared for Ennis’ discovery of the 2 bloodied shirts. It was just crushing to see Ennis realize that despite all of Jack & Ennis’ need to keep their life together a secret, and that even though Ennis didn’t want to be with Jack as Jack wanted, here Jack kept these 2 shirts as a reminder of their time, commitment, and love they shared together. And in that brief scene where Ennis is clutching the shirts and breathing in what I can only assume was Jack’s scent on Jack’s blue shirt, you could see Ennis collapse inside, almost even more than when he got the postcard or when he talked with Lureen.
I've heard people mention that when Ennis finds both shirts, he says “I love you”. I’ve replayed the scene a few times but haven’t been able to hear it. But, it really doesn’t matter. You KNOW he loved Jack, and that Jack loved Ennis. You see it in what they experienced; how they experienced it; the look in & on each other’s faces. And it's not just the sex, but in all of the facets of their lives together and/or apart. The fact that Jack kept both shirts proves how much Ennis meant to Jack. How much Jack loved Ennis. It was a reminder for Jack of a time when everything was so less complicated for both of them. And unlike Jack, up until this point there was nothing that Ennis had in his possession that showed his love for Jack. Until the very last scene.
And thus the point of my posting. When Ennis finds the two shirts, his checkered shirt is underneath Jack’s blue shirt; the sleeves of Ennis’ shirt actually inside the sleeves of Jack’s shirt. If you believe that this was Jack’s doing and not Jack’s mother (if she happened to come across the shirts and thought they were both Jack’s given the blood was in the same spot) then it was almost a way of Jack “covering”, “holding”, or better yet “embracing” Ennis, almost saying ‘I love you’.
At least, that’s how I read it as the very final scene was played out. When Ennis is putting away Alma Jr.’s shirt (another dose of symbolism there), you see both shirts again except this time it’s Ennis’ shirt covering Jack’s. It was, in my mind, Ennis’ way of saying he loved Jack too, without verbalizing it. And the tears in his eyes were another telling aspect to my interpretation of the shirts.
In any event, with a movie that was rich in symbolism and ambiguous scenes, this view could simply be all in my mind, and how I view the shirts, but maybe it isn’t as ambiguous as I think and the overlapping of the shirts is/was deliberate. In the end, it was this that I found to be just about the most impactful element of the movie, evidence of everything Jack already knew and wanted to share; what Ennis knew but couldn't say or always express; and one, if not THE, main point of the movie: Simply, love. That love is unbreakable, undeniable, heart-wrenching, ever-lasting, surprising, unexpected, and most importantly... POSSIBLE. No matter with whom it may be with.
Everything about this movie continues to haunt me. Especially those first 4 guitar notes as they play when Ennis opens his closet at the end of the movie. And there always seems to be something in my daily routine that reminds me of something from the movie. And when something does, I think of that last scene of Ennis and his "Jack, I swear..." line and those tear-filled eyes of his, and my heart flutters, my stomach drops, and tear slides down my cheek. It's almost like my heart is bruised! Anyone else feel like this? No other movie has ever affected me or stayed with me like BBM has! None! And I think that's awesome! That to me is how you tell a good story from a bad one!
So, my unending standing "O" to Ang Lee and the incredible, amazing talent that crafted this film! Kudos to all involved (especially robbed-of-his-Oscar Heath Ledger) for making a masterpiece that is poignant, haunting, and simply unforgettable!