Milk (2008)

Gus Van Sants biopic of sainted gay activist Harvey Milk starring Sean Penn.

When I was a freshman in high school a vhs copy of the Oscar winning 1984 documentary “The Times of Harvey Milk” made the rounds among my circle of outcast/sissy friends. The tape originated from a teacher who asked us to not tell anyone he had lent it to us because of the adult (read: Gay) content, it just wouldn’t look good. Harvey Milk quickly became a hero to us and I would like to thank Mr. Zickler now for looking out for us. This documentary is the primary basis for “Milk”

The film opens with Milk narrating the story of his life into a tape recorder only to be heard in case of assassination.  His early life is not covered, but his move to San Francisco from NYC with boyfriend James Franco, their opening of his Castro street mainstay business Castro Camera. Followed quickly (like everything in this movie) by his plunge into gay activism local politics.

After various political campaigns Harvey Milk was finally elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and was assasinated along with the mayor by fellow Board member Dan White (Josh “Rolling” Brolin).  Van Sant and Sean Penn treat the subject matter with dignity, love and respect. Almost with kid gloves, now this is no puff piece, however there is so much information and years to cover that you feel like there isn’t enough time for anything other than the primary focus of making you love Harvey Milk (for the audience members only now learning his story) and then breaking your heart.

And its the breaking your heart moments that didn’t always work for me. Sure, I bawled my fucking eyes out, but was still thinking “This didn’t need to be in slow motion…” and “…its convenient that the wheelchair bound gay kid in the midwest is always calling at the most emotionally wrought moments…” among other quibbles.

These are fairly small potatoes: Gus Van Sant’s direction is superb and Sean Penn’s performance is astounding. Really astounding, the man disappears from the screen and all you are looking at is Harvey Milk. The supporting cast all turn in solid performances. Brolin especially plays Dan Whites character as a three dimensional fucked up human being, when it would’ve been really easy to cookie cut a villain.

Highly fucking recommended. But for chissakes watch the doc “The Times of Harvey Milk” first.

trailer for “Times of Harvey Milk” (1984)