Milk

(2008)

Directed by

Gus Van Sant

Review by Todd Plucknett

Gus Van Sant’s new film Milk is an inspiring and completely fantastic biopic. It is totally different than anything Van Sant has done in his career, and there are very few things that even suggest that it is the same director that directed what he has done recently, like this year’s Paranoid Park for example. Van Sant somewhat redefines who he is as a director, and he once again shows that he is one of the finest filmmakers working today.

Milk is the story of the last 8 years of the life of Harvey Milk (Oscar-winner Sean Penn), the 1970s gay rights activist in San Francisco. The film starts out with Milk in a New York subway looking for someone to spend his 40^th birthday with. He runs across a handsome young man named Scott (James Franco), and they have a very sweet fling, which includes eating cake and talking about life in bed. Milk explains that he has not done anything in the first 40 years of his life that he is proud of. The two stay together, and they move to San Francisco in 1972. They pull together enough money to open a camera store on Castro Street. The street soon became a sort of gathering area for homosexuals, including Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch), who became one of Milk’s closest advisors. Milk was so frustrated with the fact that all the bigger business owners and even the police looked down so furiously on gay people. He decided that he would run for the office of Supervisor. After several failed attempts, he finally got elected, and he took on the highly important Proposition 6, which would give schools the right to fire gay teachers. Milk became the first openly gay man elected to major office, and he became known as the “Mayor of Castro Street��.

The story of Milk became a national phenomenon. He encouraged every gay person to come out and support his cause. “My name is Harvey Milk, and I want to recruit you.” This became his token phase to begin every rally. He also developed an interesting relationship with a fellow Supervisor named Dan White (Josh Brolin), who became frustrated with Milk and eventually gave up his office. Everything that Milk had fought for was finally showing signs of becoming reality, but the road was not easy. His lover Scott left him after too many failed campaigns, and there were several semi-riots and contacts from other men around the country that began to wear on him. He wanted so much to help everyone, convince everyone to vote, and for them to be confident and come out, but his opposition always kept his influence in check. His eventual assassination became an event that most likely inspired just about as many people as did his tenure in office.

This film belongs to Sean Penn. His performance is among the best I have seen in the past few years. He becomes Harvey Milk, and the sorrow he displays and the passion that he has for the material helps form one of the most unique and inspirational heroes in film. His chemistry with James Franco is excellent, who also gives a very subtle and commendable performance. Emile Hirsch was awesome in his role. I can’t wait to see what he does next. Alison Pill is good as the eventual advisor to Milk’s campaign. Diego Luna gives a delightful and crazy performance as Jack, one of Milk’s lovers. Josh Brolin gives the best supporting performance in the film, though. His role was so difficult. He had very little screen time, but his impact on the film is undeniable. He is one of the quietest, subtlest murderers I have seen on screen. You look into his face, and you see a hint of rage, torment, and also vulnerability. The facial expressions Brolin uses make his performance a truly admirable one.

What I truly loved about the screenplay by Dustin Lance Black was that it was not about the murder. If the character of Dan White would have been extended, it would have become more about the villain (which he really wasn’t one) and less about the inspiration that Milk had on the nation. So when White eventually goes in to murder Milk and the mayor, it seems abrupt and ill-advised. That is exactly how it was, though. This is most likely why White was released from prison after such a short term. Also, the film was not exclusively about gay rights, but also civil rights. This was also part of Milk’s impact. He wanted each group to be treated equally, regardless of race, gender, or orientation.

There are a couple scenes in particular that are undeniably powerful. There are two phone calls that include better acting than anything I have seen this year. The looks of sorrow and emotional intensity that Penn displays will undoubtedly affect the audience. The final moments before the closing credits are as emotional as any part of the film, as are the abruptness and portrayal of the murder. You really have no idea what is going through White’s mind throughout the film, which makes him even more of a haunting and provocative character on screen.

Milk is such a pleasure to watch. Van Sant places archival footage throughout the film, which normally could be a distraction. This is probably the best placed archival footage I have ever seen in a film, though. It does not seem like a standard biopic. Instead, it seems like the film goes into the archival footage, where it expands and forms the drama. The audience feels like they are indeed watching these real people, not actors playing them. In a lot of ways, it seems like an Oliver Stone film (JFK in particular). However, never does the film have a problem with a lack of subtlety that Stone sometimes struggles with. Most points are implied, not beat over your head, with the exception of a few of the impassioned speeches by Milk himself. It is a Van Sant film, however. It does not have the obvious camera gimmicks and long tracking shots of films like Gerry and Last Days, but Van Sant does place his mark on the film. For example, he has an entire scene shown through a reflection on a whistle sitting on the ground. None of this is indulgent, however. That is simply who Van Sant is as a director, and every one of these shots has an idea and some meaning. I could not be more enthusiastic about this film. It is finally Van Sant’s return to films that are accessible to wide audiences, and it is as affecting as anything you will likely see this year. It is not any ordinary biopic. It is a sensational look into the life of perhaps the most important activist in recent American history. It is a superb achievement.

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