MILK [2008] review

I had not heard of Harvey Milk before this movie started getting attention, but I had indirectly heard of things that came about from his life, like the Moscone Center where Apple holds special events, and vague references to the “Twinkie Defense.”  The intimate and sweeping biopic MILK starring Sean Penn filled in all the details superbly.  

As has been my custom living in Tokyo, over the New Year’s holidays I catch up on many Oscar and awards type movies.  It’s one of my favorite times of year as each evening I spend time with a great movie, and to this list I can certainly add MILK.  It is easy to say that Penn’s performance is riveting and subtle and deeply emotive.  The character often has a million things going on at once, but Milk himself always found time to listen to an individual voice in need.  One conversation in particular, a minor aside in the movie about a boy in Minnesota, was perhaps the most touching and emotional part of the movie for me.  

Harvey Milk, as the character of Dan White says, has an issue, and that issue is getting human rights and equal rights for the gay community.  It was not a passion he was born with, far from it, but one he seemed to choose upon realizing he had done nothing worthwhile with his life up until age 40.  Once filled with this passion though, he had no trouble “recruiting” others to the struggle, as he liked to open speeches by saying.

One scene of Penn giving an open air speech (under threat of a death threat) was so passionate, I’d really like to ask Penn where he found the motivation for that scene.  No doubt Penn must have given all due justice to the real speech.

It is no spoiler to say that Milk is assassinated, as the movie opens by saying that.  The movie wisely does not toy so often with the “when will he” moments.  Instead the focus is on how one man could lead a massive movement out of nothing and affect tangible change at the state governmental level.  Impressive indeed.

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