Movie Notes: Milk

December 17th, 2008

= 5 stars

Starring Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin
Directed by Gus Van Sant

Synopsis

San Francisco resident Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) decides to run for public office, becoming California’s first openly gay elected politician, and leader of a burgeoning gay rights movement.

The Good

• I was impressed several times by Gus Van Sant’s subtle yet capable direction, using inventive film techniques to convey story. A reflection in a dropped whistle, an out-of-focus background when Milk thinks he’s being followed, and camera movement during the final scenes of Dan White sitting in an office, used to create tension.
• Sean Penn, totally subsumed in the role of a middle-aged gay man, turns in an amazing performance based on a disarming, confident persona — someone you’d be happy to know, and eventually come to admire. Josh Brolin is also excellent as the insular and unstable Dan White.
• The film’s last half is devoted to a Proposition 6 which sought to remove homosexuals from California public schools, under the guise of protecting families and spearheaded by the religious right and pop singer Anita Bryant. The parallel to the recent success of Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage is duly noted.
• In the first few minutes we boldly learn Milk was killed. Despite knowledge of the impending, tragic ending, the aforementioned factors keep things compelling throughout.

The Bad

• The opera stuff was a bit much. I’m not sure if it was an intentional joke to have that fat lady singing.

Conclusion

I really love films where several things (direction, acting, story, and characters) work together to transport me to another place, to where I’m affected emotionally and no longer aware I’m merely watching shadows on a screen. Milk achieved that quality several times. The icing on the cake is the film’s message that gay rights is a civil rights issue, one that is entirely applicable to today. People should know how far civil rights has come, and how far it still has to go. A must see.

IMDB: Milk
Wikipedia: Milk
Rotten Tomatoes: Milk 98%