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"Milk" - it does a bio good

In San Francisco on November 27th, 1978, a lone gunman snuck into City Hall and shot the Mayor and a City Supervisor — Harvey Milk, the city's first openly gay elected official and a leader of the Gay Rights movement. Thirty years later, director Gus Van Sant brings this fascinating and moving story to life in "Milk", starring Sean Penn as Harvey Milk.

Other than the brilliant 1984 documentary "The Times of Harvey Milk", the story has taken a long time to make it to the big screen. Beautifully crafted and bolstered by a solid script by Dustin Lance Black, Van Sant and Penn have succeeded in bringing this story to light by focusing not solely on his politics or the tragic events of that fall day, but on Milk as a person — his relationships, his humanity, his complexity (for good and for bad) and his courage. Visually stunning (with an 1970s archival footage look and feel), evocative and heartbreaking (particularly in light of recent events), "Milk" is the story of a man who fought not only for gay rights, but for the rights of all forgotten or marginalized people.

We meet conservative, closeted Harvey Milk on a New York subway platform as he cruises a young hippie named Scott (James Franco). They hit it off immediately in a soft-focus (and rather chaste, by movie standards) encounter. "Forty years old," Harvey laments, "and I haven't done a thing I'm proud of." A year or two later, Harvey is a long-haired member of the counter-culture, living openly with Scott in San Francisco. Opening a camera store on Castro Street, Harvey's flamboyance (for lack of a better word) is met with veiled hostility from their working-class Irish and Italian neighbors. Surprisingly, Harvey's charm and straightforwardness earn him respect and friendship in the community.

As an increasing number of gay and lesbian youths flock to The Castro, Harvey and Scott's camera store becomes a sort of neighborhood clubhouse. Here, they organize community action groups (gay bashing is frequent and most often perpetrated by city cops) and decide what gay-friendly businesses and causes to support. Milk dubs himself the "Mayor of Castro Street", emerging as an unorthodox community leader. Deciding that the best way to change the system is from within, Milk attempts an exhausting series of failed runs for office, much to the chagrin of Scott, who feels crowded out by Harvey's rag-tag campaign team.

When a change in voting laws allows districts to vote for their own Supervisor, Milk handily wins District 5, comprised of The Haight and The Castro neighborhoods ("the hippies and the queers"). Milk and the other new city board members are welcomed with open arms by the city's progressive mayor, George Moscone (Victor Garber). Once on the Board, Harvey quickly displays a knack for City Hall politics and for PR. By calling for an ordinance to curb the city's ubiquitous "dog poop" problem, he's not only able to get his picture in the paper, he's able to unite all citizens under a common cause. It proves to be a brilliant tactic. As his fame and support grows, so does his power to get truly important legislation passed.

Or not passed, as in the case of Prop 6 — a statewide measure making it legal for schoolteachers to be fired based on their sexual preference. Sponsored by religious conservatives (most notably, former orange juice pitch woman Anita Bryant), Prop 6 becomes the dragon to Milk's St. George. The fight against the measure is the centerpiece of "Milk" and shows to greatest effect (through a pitch-perfect performance by Penn) Harvey's gifts for debate and for mobilizing support at the grassroots level. It is here that Penn's performance is at it's most moving and most dynamic. He captures not only the positive spirit of Milk's speeches, but also the uncompromising (sometimes to a fault, as when he demands a staffer "come out" to his father) militant within.

Milk expects opposition from extremists — taking death threats in stride — but doesn't see the real threat coming. Harvey's success on the political stage does not sit well with fellow Board member Dan White (Josh Brolin). A conservative family man and former fireman, Dan is the picture of the all-American man. The two strike an uneasy alliance at first, but Harvey is soon running circles around him, politically. Dan seems at once repulsed and in awe of Harvey — jealous of his sagacity, ingenuity and ability to navigate the halls of power. Like Penn, Brolin is given the difficult task to flesh out a figure long seen as a symbol, rather than as a human being. As Dan White, Brolin portrays a pathetic figure — a man far out of his depth in nearly every aspect of his life. Ill-equipped for the political game, he betrays his lack of self-confidence through his squeaky voice, awkward speeches and gestures. He shows us a man slowly crumbling from within, buried under the weight of his own inadequacy.

As Milk's fame grows, so does White's resentment and frustration. Thus, the wheels are set in motion for a tragedy of operatic proportions. Operatic is an apt comparison, as Van Sant elegantly weaves Milk's love of opera throughout the film. It's his love of opera that first sets him apart from the rock-driven youth culture of The Castro. In a velvet-covered box seat, opera becomes a symbol of his acceptance. And finally, the last tragic act as blood is spilled on the marble halls of power.

The humanity of "Milk" is what makes the film so effective, so compelling. For too long, sexual orientation has been used as comic relief or to reinforce homophobic stereotypes. "Milk", besides being an enthralling true story, fully explores real characters that also happen to be gay. Their struggles are the same as all people fighting for their rights; for their voice to be heard. Harvey Milk is a symbol, but in "Milk" we also get to know him. And if we believe with him, we will fight with him.