10 Emotionally Gutting Films That Wrecked Their Audiences

Next we have an entry from Ang Lee, one that broke the hearts of most people who watched it. Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) are two ranch hands who fall for each other in 1960s America and over the next twenty years, their relationship is pushed to the breaking point from societal expectations of the time. The pair are subjected to constant abuse and prejudice from those around them and they attempt to create different lives, knowing that their relationship will never be accepted in society, but time after time they go back to each other.

The persecution and pressure Ennis and Jack go through are beautifully presented in Brokeback Mountain, making for a heart-wrenching tragedy. The constant raw emotion displayed by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal throughout is the film's beating heart, which tore up many an audience when it released in 2005. It was later tipped to win best picture and a good portion of both audiences and critics were disappointed when it lost out to the less memorable Crash. The title of "biggest Oscar snub in history" speaks to Brokeback Mountain's lasting power, a story of two individuals desperate to be together but being unable to do that.