To Bathe in Filmic Waters

Milk | Gus Van Sant, 2008

It’s taken a long time for Kentucky-born filmmaker Gus Greene Van Sant Junior to step out of his oft-tagged “indie” comfort zone and tackle a project of size. With Milk, the director has not only found his feet in more conventional territory, but also reignited a passion that seemed somehow dampened during his recent efforts. Milk is the story of California’s first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, and his battle for gay rights. A story we are told first-hand by Milk himself, played by Sean Penn, as he recounts this struggle by way of a dictaphone at his darkened kitchen table. The film takes place upon a volatile backdrop of seventies San Francisco, the battleground for Milk and his recruits. With Van Sant painstakingly recreating this activism-laden atmosphere and landscape, using them as the foundation upon which our story can be built. Milk is no doubt a character-driven tale but without this strong central support the general feeling of restlessness that the film evokes could in no way have been possible. It’s inspiring stuff. Much more political than a Van Sant film has ever admitted to being, but without the procedural implications that such an aspect may hint at. The highlight here is undoubtedly Sean Penn’s mesmerizing performance in the title role. An actor that I’ve always admired for his technical ability, but scorned on occasion for not stretching this ability more often. In this case his character is a daunting prospect, but one powerfully and confidently handled. Harvey Milk is larger than life, and Penn succeeds in transferring such an inspiring character to the screen without allowing himself at any moment to become a caricaturist.

The tale of Harvey Milk has already been accounted once as an Oscar-winning documentary made in 1984, and I’ve heard many critics using this fact as ammunition in their criticism of Gus Van Sant’s film. It’s difficult to comment on such an accusation without having seen this documentary but for me any move that introduces more people to this real-life story can only be a positive one. At least if the project is handled with as much care and genuine passion as Van Sant shows here. Much like last year’s Zodiac, Milk boasts an impressive ensemble cast headed by Penn and the busy form of Josh Brolin, who plays Milk’s frustrated political opponent Dan White. Emile Hirsch – who was directed by Penn last year – also shows his range in a performance that will surely be looked back upon as an important stepping stone on his road to success. Unlike Zodiac however, Milk doesn’t go into award season carrying an impeditive January release date that might damage its prospects. It arrives instead upon the looming storm clouds generated by Proposition 8 over in California, precisely on time in order to embrace a refreshed and reinvigorated topic. A topic that has been attacked from all angles by Hollywood over the years but one that Van Sant handles with originality. As far as flaws go Milk does, as with Zodiac, lug around a heavy run-time that betrays its relatively concise narrative. There is however a surprisingly unbridled amount of creativity used by Van Sant that does well to make up for those slower moments.

Our Rating: