I agree with most of what you are saying here. I had been hearing about it for months so I was extremely hyped when it finally came to AMC. In fact I was so exicted that I went straight from work, wich at the time was an apprentice chef so I probably stank of food, to see it. I bought my ticket and couldn't contain my excitement as I went through the doors at the Stafford AMC and made my way to the back row in the far corner.

As I sat munching on my popcorn and doing the trivia questions I though to myself that this was it, it was really happening. Anyway the movie started, the hype wore off and I was not impressed. To me there was no relationship, the sex scene seemed to be boarding on rape, and not once did Ennis return Jack's feeling's until the end. I hated Heath Ledger's character and found myself sympathising with Jake Gyllenhaal's character more. At most times I wanted to beat Ennis over the head for putting Jack through what he did. The only thing that really got me worked up was at the end, when Jack died, when you see what happens to him. Picture this, a teenage girl sitting in the back row furtherest away from the exit, in a chef uniform smelling like fish and food bawling her eyes out. I must have raised quite a few eyebrows when I walked out of the cinema. Anyway I wasn't upset by the end scene were you see Ennis with the two shirts or when you see him with Jack's parents, it was Jack dying that did me in.

All in all I was expecting something quite different, and to me it seemed that the movie wasn't really supporting gay relationships when I thought that was essintially the point. Anyway you're probably sitting there reading this going who the hell is this but oh well, I get that reaction a lot, so I'm going to stop now.