June is Pride month across North America and the Rio Theatre is joining in the celebration with the groundbreaking, and first of its kind in contemporary Hollywood mainstream films, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN: 20th anniversary screening.

The film is set in a fictitious yet picturesque location, Brokeback Mountain, and chronicles the lives of two cowboys Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist who are hired by Joe Aguirre in 1963 for sheep-herding. Slowly, the men develop a close, intimate relationship, but the values instilled in them by the heteronormative society prevents them from embracing their true feelings. They part from one another with heavy hearts, only to meet again, four years later. Ennis is married to the young Alma and has children of his own while Jack has a son with the wealthy daughter of a farm businessman, Lureen. Jack and Ennis rekindle their passion and frequently escape on romantic getaways under the pretext of fishing trips.

"To my mind, Brokeback Mountain (2005, Ang Lee) is a landmark film, a film that utterly deconstructs the “cowboy” (hypermasculine, patriarchal, phallocentric) ideology, while also revealing how horribly destructive such normalizing ideologies as hypermasculinity, patriarchy, heteronormativity, and Christianity/Protestantism are to identity. (Your Film Professor)

"Intimate and emotionally stirring, the film can be evaluated on multiple levels. It is important to note that despite there being quite a few LGBTQ+ films, Brokeback Mountain has cemented its position in cinematic history and is often considered the “go-to gay movie”. (faroutmagazine.co.uk)

Saturday, July 5
Doors 2:00 pm | Film 2:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (Ang lee, 2005 / 134 mins / 14A) In 1960s Wyoming, two men develop a strong emotional and sexual relationship that endures as a lifelong connection complicating their lives as they get married and start families of their own.