Inspiring and uplifting as any movie I have seen this year!

Rating: 10/10 (29 December 2008)

Milk tells the story of San Fransisco Supervisor Harvery Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to a major public office. The story follows him from the opening of the Castro Camera shop to his final hour and eventual murder by fellow Supervisor Dan White.
What I found to be particularly great about this film is that, no matter how small the part was, each actor took particular care in making it memorable. Every actor did brilliantly. There could not have been a more perfect choice for Supervisor Milk than that of Sean Penn. He goes out on a limb to play a man who had stirring convictions that what was being done to the gay community was wrong and immoral, and he was going to do something about it. The bravery it took for Milk, and all of those involved in the movement, to even walk down the street astonishes me. Every time they take a step outside, they are putting themselves in harm's way because society has deemed that what they are doing makes them criminals. How ridiculously wrong a group of people can be. And I think that is really what makes this story so inspiring and emotional. What an amazing group of people.
Though he plays the assassin, Josh Brolin gives to the audience probably the strongest supporting performance in the film. Playing Dan White, Brolin shows a man who is looking for an ally in life, someone on the Board supervisors that will support him, and he finds that in Harvey. But when Harvey refuses to throw a vote his way, Dan is infuriated and starts a campaign against Milk and everyone associated with him. Dan White is such an emotionally broken man, and in one scene at Harvey's birthday party, he confronts Harvey in a drunken state. It implies that maybe Dan is on Harvey's side in more ways than one. The tragedy is, though, that if Dan White were gay, he was so concerned about his reputation that he couldn't allow anyone to know, and he couldn't allow Milk or gay-friendly Mayor Moscone to go on living in opposition to him.
I love how Gus Van Sant used the opera house in the end. As Milk falls to his knees, gunned down and good as dead, he glimpses the opera house. And such a beautiful shot it is, too. Great direction from Van Sant.
Though Harvey and Mayor Moscone are dead and gone, their memories will continue to thrive and give hope to a people sorely mistreated. Though not here to continue the fight in person, Harvey will live on in our hearts and minds, and though dead, he will NEVER be defeated.
A 10 out of 10 for a triumphant and powerful experience!