Heath Ledger

In Brokeback Mountain (2005), Heath Ledger makes the effort of keeping his feelings hidden look physically exhausting. His Ennis Del Mar struggles to explain himself even to the man he loves. We ached for him because Ledger makes that constant effort to hold things in so painful to watch. He also lets Ennis be poor company. There is no attempt to turn his unhappiness into the appealing shyness of a conventional romantic lead.

The teen-comedy lead in 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) had established his charm, but the heroic roles did not always give him enough to do. In A Knight's Tale (2001) and Ned Kelly (2003), he could look under-challenged. The change came into focus in 2005, when Casanova, The Brothers Grimm and Lords of Dogtown appeared alongside Brokeback Mountain. With Ennis, being difficult to like became something he could use.

Ang Lee gets the most from him by allowing that awkwardness to persist, rather than hurrying towards an explanation. Jake Gyllenhaal gives Jack Twist a more readable warmth, and his openness helps us see just how much Ennis holds back. Lee allows the attraction time to become convincing, then asks us to notice how these men struggle to understand each other. Ledger's restraint works because Gyllenhaal gives him someone to respond to, not simply someone to stand beside. A few passages outstay their welcome, but we would not want the relationship made tidier or easier.

His later work included the ensemble of I'm Not There (2007) and the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008). Working with Christopher Nolan, he made his physical and vocal inventiveness much more conspicuous. He did not need a taciturn character to make detailed use of his voice and body. For the quieter performance, and the one we would recommend first, give Brokeback Mountain an evening without interruptions.