Milk, 2008

In 1977 Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into major public office in the United States. In 1978, Milk was assassinated by former city supervisor Dan White (Josh Brolin).  Directed by Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) and filmed on location in San Francisco from an original screenplay by Dustin Lance Black, this timely biopic puts a face and a timeline on the still controversial gay civil rights movement.

This film has some great acting. Sean Penn's intensity, courage and strength carry the  film from start to end. Similarly, extraordinary and powerful characterizations by Emile Hirsch, James Franco, and Josh Brolin not only make you feel part of the late '70s, they make you feel part of their lives. It is fair to mention that not all characters were real actors -- some appeared in archival footage, such as as Anita Bryant -- a nationally vocal opponent to gay rights in the 1970s. This provided the film with a powerful authenticity that makes its relevance hard to dismiss. Van Sant's use of archival footage merged with original shots in a city still embroiled in the heart of a national debate over gay civil rights makes it impossible not to question our political reality: how far we are from the shameful scenes from the '60s, but how far the end of strife we remain, watching the daily news.

Many people involved in this real life tale are still alive and fighting. Milk's fight to overcome Proposition 6, which would have banned gay and lesbian people from working in California public schools, seems similar to the recent fight of Nov. 2008  concerning Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California. Even though Focus Features specifically decided to release the film after the vote was cast – many still think that this history review could have made the difference at the ballot. But as Van Sant said in an interview on Nov 27, 2008: "We decided that a better film is better than trying to rush it. It's a long fight and there are many states involved and the propositions will come and go over our lifetimes."

Milk's life is not new to the big screen -- a documentary by Rob Epstein, The Times of Harvey Milk, won an Oscar in 1984. Nonetheless, the approach of this film is to look at Milk's role as an inspirational figure. The movie is by no means without flaws, just as  Milk's life was also perhaps overly full of drama.  The film speaks passionately about lives engaged in the struggle for equality. It does this while providing a clear and coherent message of hope. As Milk said: "Without hope life is not worth living. You 'Gotta Give 'Em Hope."