ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

HARVEY MILK was the first openly gay man elected to a significant political office in America. Just like Barack Obama, he became a symbol of hope for people who believed in America as a land where all men were created equal and where anything was possible.

Eleven months after he was elected as a city supervisor in San Francisco, Milk was shot dead along with the mayor. Thousands of people took to the streets for a candlelight vigil that celebrated his achievements and mourned his passing.

Gus Van Sant’s Milk is an incredibly touching salute to the life and legacy of this extraordinary man. It features a superb performance from Sean Penn who completely submerges his own look and personality within the character. His version of Milk has all the flirtatious charm, generous spirit and steely determination that people recall in the real Harvey Milk. It is a performance that deserves to win an Academy Award.

The film begins in 1978 with Milk taping his life story in the anticipation that one of the death threats made against him will become a reality. In the New York of 1970, he meets boyfriend Scotty (James Franco). The couple move to San Francisco and start to build a life together that eventually draws Milk into grass roots campaigning. His desire for office is always rooted in a sense of community and the need to recognise the ties that bind us all together.

Offering an authentic picture of the changing social landscape of 1970s America, Milk is an intelligent, moving political drama with a clear-sighted view of events and a light touch. It even refuses to paint fellow city supervisor Dan White (Josh Brolin) as a villain, seeking instead to understand the actions of the man who killed Milk and Mayor Moscone.

Heartfelt filmmaking of the highest order, Milk features one of Sean Penn’s finest performances and is highly recommended.

Nationwide release

Director: Gus Van Sant
Cast: Sean Penn, James Franco, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna, Victor Garber
Screenwriter: Dustin Lance Black
Certificate: 15
Running time: 128 mins
Country: USA
Year: 2008