Got Milk?

For a biopic to be well-received, timing is everything. There has to be reason why we care about the film’s subject today. Gus Van Sant’s Milk is relevant not only because of its release on the 30th anniversary of openly gay San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk’s assassination, but also because Milk’s activism for gay rights is still a prominent issue on a national scale with the controversial passing of Proposition 8 ‘-‘- a California proposition that made same-sex marriage illegal. Throw in superb acting by Sean Penn and James Franco and a well-paced script by Dustin Lance Black, and Van Sant has a socially conscious Oscar contender on his hands.

Milk chronicles the title character’s life from the time he casually picks up a handsome stranger, James Franco, in a New York subway station in 1970, through his efforts to establish equal rights for gay men and women in San Francisco and California up to his assassination by fellow City Supervisor Dan White.

‘ Milk faces opposition from religious factions and death threats from individuals, while gaining support and friendship from those who join him in his lifelong fight.’ Milk’s story is framed by his own narration into a tape recorder. He begins by saying the tape is only to be played in the event of his assassination, leaving a haunting reminder of the inevitable over the course of the film.

Penn somehow manages to get better with each role he portrays, and his take on Harvey Milk is no exception. He captures this man’s revolutionary transition from flamboyant playboy to impassioned politician with expert precision. In one scene, Milk finds out that the proposition that would make it mandatory to fire all gay teachers in California has been defeated. Penn’s reaction to such unexpected, joyous news is filled with indescribable elation. Such raw emotions can only be embodied by the rare few, and Penn keeps up with his character’s eight-year span of an ever-changing persona accurately and artfully. It doesn’t hurt that Penn looks a lot like Milk.

Clearly a work close to the hearts of all those involved, Milk will strike a chord with all those affected the passing of Proposition 8 in California just a few short weeks ago. This film shows how far our society has come on the path to unquestioned equality, yet reminds us that we have many more steps to take. Bringing his life to the big screen today may perhaps allow Milk to continue the fight that tragically ended years ago.?