Michelle Williams (actress) to the comedic genre with "The Baxter", in which she played a geeky secretary. The film received negative reviews; Wesley Morris of "The Boston Globe" wrote, "Only when Williams is around does the movie seem human, true, and funny. Even in her slapstick, there's pain." As with her other films during this period, it only received a limited release and was not widely seen. Williams gained wider recognition later in 2005 when she appeared in Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain", about the romance between two men, Ennis and Jack (played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, respectively). Impressed with her performance
Brokeback Mountain (short story) numerous awards, including Academy Awards (for 2005) for Best Adapted Screenplay (McMurtry and Ossana), Best Director (Ang Lee), and Best Original Score (Gustavo Santaolalla). It was nominated for a total of eight awards (the most that year), including Best Picture, Best Actor (Heath Ledger as Ennis), and Best Supporting Actor (Jake Gyllenhaal as Jack). Its loss of Best Picture to "Crash" was not generally expected, though predicted by some. Charles Wuorinen, a contemporary American composer, became interested in the story, and Proulx wrote the libretto to adapt her work. Their work was commissioned by Mortier of the New York City