I watched this movie on DVD and really, it's the best thing I've seen in a long time. There's a woman on Ocracoke Island who says "the book is always better" than the movie. But in this case, I don't think you can say that. Ang Lee has made a completely different work of art that is still true to the story. It's like saying a poem is better than a painting, or a sculpture is better than a song.

I had read the story many years ago (in "Close Range: Wyoming Stories") and reread it while at my parents' house this weekend. It's quick, spare, and heartbreaking as I remembered.