I usually don’t write about films right after seeing them, but this review is long overdue and I was compelled to capture my immediate reaction to such a visceral piece of filmmaking. However let me make it clear, Milk is a good film, not a great film. Even though Sean Penn is in almost every scene I wish the camera had lingered on his face just a little more. The anecdotal nature of the film, with flashbacks and flashforwards, almost short-circuited a brilliant performance.
There are moments when the audience is on the verge of a revelation by way of the glossiness of his eyes or the slight tremble of his hands. But these moments are much too fleeting. I want to spend more time with this character Penn so lovingly crafted. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by seeing the 1984 documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, in which the man is presented in a hagiographic haze. Director Gus Van Sant has created a more meditative piece, akin to his work in Elephant and Paranoid Park. Penn’s performance is too constrained by the camera’s ellipses, and some powerful moments might have been left in the editing room to achieve the desired rhythm.
Milk was a natural showman, channeling his charisma and business skills to become a successful activist and secure a supervisor seat. Dan White, as portrayed by Josh Brolin, is over-serious, chip-shouldered, and crippled by the pressures of the American dream. The audience is constantly aware of his difficult family life, if only through their conspicuous absence as he fanatically watches Milk become a star on television. Brolin’s best moment occurs when he drunkenly accosts Milk outside of his birthday party. He yells, “I got issues!”—probably the biggest understatement in any film this year.
Ultimately, this story of a man who decided to “do something” before he was too old is inspirational. He lived more life in his near decade in San Francisco than most ever will. He transformed from a closeted, conservative, Republican to an outspoken supporter of all the downtrodden in San Francisco, whether they be the elderly, the factory workers, or the simply forgotten. The movie makes a point to show Milk as an inspiration for young gay men across the country, but he was also something of an American original, a statistician, a wanderer, a camera store owner, and a politician who was not only part of a community but gave them a voice and a mission. Where are we now as a community organizer is about to become our next President?
It’s sad to say that we have not made very much progress in thirty years, especially with Proposition 8 in our recent past, but hopefully the spirit of the 70’s is due for a comeback. As Harvey would say, they’ve just helped to pull us together—the real fight has just begun.
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