Milk 2008

Using flashbacks from a statement recorded late in life and archival footage for atmosphere this film traces Harvey Milks career from his 40th birthday to his death. He leaves the closet and New York opens a camera shop that becomes the salon for San Franciscos growing gay community and organizes gays purchasing power to build political alliances. He runs for office with lover Scott Smith as his campaign manager. Victory finally comes on the same day Dan White wins in the citys conservative district. The rest of the film sketches Milks relationship with White and the 1978 fight against a statewide initiative to bar gays and their supporters from public school jobs.

Review

Let's get one thing out of the way. Is it entertaining And how! Sean Penn's best performance to date – Oscar quality Emile Hirsch riotously perfect (best "supporting") James Franco heartbreaking Diego Luna devastating Josh Brolin flawless. Not one false note in any of the actors – a very complicated story unfolds with absolute clarity. I will be seeing this one again just for the screenplay. I was very gratified that no attempt is made to be "delicate" about Harvey Milk's personality either his sex life or his outsized ego which perhaps ironically for some makes him all the more heroic. The finest "political" film I think I've ever seen. It does more than dramatize a strong true story it captures convincingly the truth about a whole political movement. (One that's as freshly active as today's headlines Prop 6 or Prop 8 — does it ever end) There is an ease and familiarity to the "scene" — to the historical period and place — with very few small anachronisms as far as I could tell. This is also the most assured work of Gus Van Sant a genuine film artist who here delivers a complete drama with real visual style and brazen wit. The blending of documentary footage is the most seamless I can remember seeing anywhere. The crowd scenes are remarkable and all of the location shooting miraculously right. For a couple of fast fast hours I felt as though I had spent a couple of days — hilarious intense inspiring days — immersed in 1970s San Francisco. This movie does what all movies should do. See it.