Milk

Milk tells the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to major public office in the United States. The film, directed by Gus Van Sant, is told in quasi-documentary style and tells of his evolution from scruffy neighborhood activist to a suit wearing San Francisco supervisor. Anyone old enough to be familiar with Harvey Milk's story will be able to remember a time when gay people were openly persecuted and subjected to physical violence by people who had little to fear in the way of retribution. For those younger, the film starts off with some old news footage that illuminates what it was like before anyone could have conceived of gay people having the right to marry. Many people might even find it hard to believe that there was a time when even San Francisco contained significant animus towards homosexuals, and that in part is a tribute to the progress made made thanks to Mr. Milk, and others of course. The film does a seamless job in weaving in contemporary news footage into the narrative, and the film is both engrossing and informative. Sean Penn does an amazing job of portraying Harvey Milk and Josh Brolin also excels in portraying Dan White with all of his pathetic, needy creepiness intact. An excellent film and history lesson.

Rating - 4 Stars