Milk

December 21, 2008

Dustin Lance Black and Gus Van Sant's take on the life and politics of Harvey Milk is anything but your everyday bio-pic, but that's okay, because Milk was anything but your everyday politician, and given the weight of the subject – the advancement of gay rights in the face of puritanical right wing opposition – and the relative familiarity of the story, an unconventional approach was essential. Van Sant frames the story with Milk (Oscar worthy Sean Penn) narrating his life and accomplishments into a tape recorder, cutting back and forth as the story progresses from New York to San Francisco, where Milk and his partner (James Franco) set up shop in the Castro and become politically involved when their rights are questioned, leading into Harvey's tireless grassroots campaign for city council, which eventually made him the first openly gay official in America, and a target for assassination. It's a testament to Van Sant's approach, Penn's uncanny ability to make his characterization more than just an impersonation, and the heroic nature of the story, that when the murder does come, at the hands of disturbed, disgruntled council member Dan White (Josh Brolin), it's still devastating, and though the film is ultimately a tragedy, there's no denying the uplifting, and altogether important details of this triumphant examination of the American Dream.

By Adam Suraf

asuraf@DunkirkMA.net