Ennis del Mar is one of two main characters of Brokeback Mountain, a short story by Annie Proulx that was also adapted into an Oscar-winning 2005 romantic drama. One of the great upsets in Oscar history occurred when the film lost out to Crash (2004) for Best Picture. Ennis was played by the late Heath Ledger in the film.
Ennis is a withdrawn ranch hand in the 1960s who takes a summer job as a sheep herder in rural Wyoming when he falls in love with his work partner, Jack Twist (played by Jake Gyllenhaal).
The two continue with the secret affair for the next twenty years, going for “fishing trips” whenever they can get away and come back to Brokeback Mountain, where they met.
Ennis marries his high school sweetheart and later pursues women when he gets divorced from his wife, Alma (Michelle Williams), but Jack is his true love. However, due to his father’s teachings and his own internalized biphobia, Ennis wrestles with accepting this part of himself.
While Brokeback Mountain is widely regarded as a watershed LGBTQ film, Ennis and Jack often get “gaywashed” when people talk about the movie. Though they are the center of a queer, tragic love story, their actions and attractions place them squarely as bi men.
You can find an entry about this film in our Bi Media section.