Milk(2008) ****

"I know that you can't live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. And you, and you, and you, and you have got to give them hope.”
quoted Harvey Milk, giving his "Hope Speech" at the 1978 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day.

Based on the tagline: His life changed history.His courage changed lives; Milk is an American biographical film on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the United States of America as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Made brilliantly under the direction of Gus Van Sant and written by Dustin Lance Black, the film stars Sean Penn as Milk. It is a movie worth watching gripping every scene with humor, desires, hope, love and political provocation.

The film use flashbacks from a statement recorded late in life and archival footage for atmosphere, tracing Harvey Milk's career from his 40th birthday to his death. He leaves the closet, opens a camera shop that becomes the salon for San Francisco's 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 city's conservative
district. The film flows so gracefully, making it historically precise, moving as a good fiction film.

Though it's unflinching in its depiction of homosexual affection, the marvel of the movie is the dexterity with which it excels the specificity of its characters and gay theme to be a universal human statement and profound political epic. Though it couldn't make for the Best motion picture of the year, Van Gust well established his personal life on the political ground, making it a flawless movie. Even Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black pulls off something very close to magic, leading Milk to the Oscar for Best Writing and Screenplay 2008.

Penn goes deep and soulful in a highly ingratiating performance that's the one to beat for the Best Actor Oscar. Penn inimitably brought Milk alive as a vital and highly relevant figure, not just a political abstraction or any gay activist. Josh Brolin, being nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
(Oscar), lived his character wonderfully. Even James Franco and Emile Hirsch have done an excellent job in the film.

Milk received widespread acclaim from film critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 93% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on a sample of 209, with an average score of 8.0/10. Winning two Oscars, for the categories Best actor and best screenplay, it was nominated for six other. In addition, it won another 33 awards
and was nominated for around 44 categories.

Concerned that his raised profile marked him as a target for assassination, he recorded on tape, adding: "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door".

Overall the movie is worth watching!


(Written for Pink Pages)