I do not consider Van Sant to be an incredible director, nor a visionary one, but there is always a sincerity to his films that shines through and Milk is no exception. It is his passion combined with that of screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and star Sean Penn that injects this movie with an energy that draws the audience in, captivating them in this compelling portrait of a man whose influence may not be immediately known by the populace at large but it is one whose ripples are certainly still felt, despite the recent passage of California's Prop 8.
The two move to San Francisco and open up a small camera shop. This shop becomes something of a base of operations as Milk gets involved in local politics, speaking for gay and minority rights and organizing the community against the violence brought down by those such as the very police charged with the protection of the public trust. This activism, which employed a personal bullhorn and a box labeled "SOAP," led to a run for public office. Initially met with defeat, but with promise for the future.
After a few years of hardship on the campaign trail, he finally won a position as city supervisor. It was a hard fought, well-deserved victory, but not one without its cost. It cost him his relationship with Scott, for one. From this position he is more able to bring about real change.
Like any biography told on the big screen, Milk is not without its faults. Just try to compress a man's life, or even just a few years as done here, into a two-hour movie. I am sure you will find the task to be more difficult than you would imagine. The first thing to do is to pull out the extraneous pieces and focus in on the bullet points, then slowly build upon those bullet points a narrative that will hold together and make sense. This is not a documentary, but it does hit those bullet points in style. Unfortunately much of the flavor that surely filled his life has been stripped away leaving just the zest. Good but not great.
Not to be outdone, the supporting cast that includes James Franco, Diego Luna, Emile Hirsch, and Alison Pill, does a fine job of bringing increased life to Harvey through those around him. Then we have Josh Brolin, an actor whose career has been on the rise over the past couple of years, playing Dan White, a fellow city supervisor whose life would become forever entwined with Harvey's. Brolin is fascinating in his portrayal of a man under intense pressure who reaches a breaking point.
Dustin Lance Black does admirable work condensing Milks life into a two hour feature, while also putting some of the ridiculous beliefs that the far right held and believed as fact. However, through it all the humanity of those involved shine through in Black's words. That is what matters, the humanity behind it all.
Bottomline. Behind the obvious passion of the creative team, the memorable performance from Sean Penn, and the real world impact of the story, Milk is a movie well worth spending your time with.
Recommended.
1 comments:
interesting take. as someone who met both harvey milk and on a few occaions ran into dan white. i like your take on the film.
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