Film lovers and hopeless romantics, saddle up— because Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee’s genre-defining, heartstring-shredding, quietly revolutionary film, is riding back into theaters for its 20th anniversary this June.
Focus Features is honoring the milestone by rereleasing the beloved film for a limited run of special screenings starting June 10. That’s right: the tent, the lake, the shirts—all of it back on the big screen where it belongs.
Originally released in 2005, Brokeback Mountain broke ground as one of the first mainstream films to portray queer love with both aching realism and sweeping cinematic beauty. The story follows Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger), two cowboys who form an intense, unexpected bond while herding sheep on a remote Wyoming mountain in 1963. Over the years, their love unfolds in secret—complicated, raw, and deeply human—against the vast and unyielding backdrop of the American West.
“During their experience, Ennis and Jack are drawn into an unexpected lifelong relationship, filled with love and loss and unfolding against the raw beauty and splendor of the American West,” a press release states. “The complications, joys, and heartbreak they experience provide a testament to the endurance and power of love.”
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The film was a critical darling, earning eight Oscar nominations and winning three: Best Director for Ang Lee, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. Both Ledger and Gyllenhaal received acting nominations for their emotionally resonant performances. And who could forget the Oscars controversy heard ’round the world—when Brokeback Mountain lost Best Picture to Crash, a decision still widely considered one of the Academy’s most baffling flops.
Despite that loss, Brokeback has endured as one of the most powerful queer films ever made. In 2024, Out magazine named it the second-best queer movie of the century so far, and its legacy has only grown more poignant with time.
This anniversary isn’t just nostalgia—it’s a cultural moment. For longtime fans, it’s a chance to revisit a movie that validated emotions we weren’t always allowed to express. For younger queer audiences, it’s an invitation to experience a cinematic love story that dared to be honest when it wasn’t easy.
So dust off your cowboy boots, grab someone who won’t judge your tears, and head to the nearest theater. Because Brokeback Mountain is more than a movie—it’s a landmark.
Don’t miss your chance to say, once again, “I wish I knew how to quit you”—only this time, with better sound and surround.