The Milky Way

Rating: 7/10 (19 April 2009)

I'll begin by stating my general dislike of director Gus Van Sant: seldom has a director's own eccentricity in style and structure grated so abrasively against my nerves (I consider "Elephant" one of the worst films ever made); in most of my experiences with his work, I have been put off by his pretentious, avant-garde tendencies that pine so desperately to break through to the mainstream. And while "Milk" (easily Van Sant's best film) is often susceptible to distancing, distracting stylistic and tonal shifts, the end result is a heartfelt and optimistic true-life character study. Harvey Milk (played with immersive passion by an Oscar-winning Sean Penn) gained notoriety in the Castro District of San Francisco in the 1970s by bringing gay rights to the forefront of a repressive social climate, at first as an outspoken citizen, and soon after, as a political candidate. His growing achievements (that eventually result in his election to public office, making him the first openly gay candidate to achieve such status) are recalled in flashback, contained in a series of vignettes that chronicle the personal and political roadblocks and triumphs of this driven, determined man. While "Milk" is clearly Penn's show (and Van Sant wisely keeps him in nearly every frame), he is surrounded by a capable supporting cast, including James Franco (as Milk's supportive ex-lover), Emile Hirsch (as a volunteer who rallies the disenchanted masses), and Josh Brolin (as the not-quite-earthbound Dan White, a fellow city Supervisor clinging to "moral" values).