Milk

Genre: Homosexual Biography
Language: English
Director: Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting)
Cast: Sean Penn (I am Sam), Josh Brolin (Hollow Man), Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer), James Franco (Spiderman) & Diego Luna (The Terminal)
Runtime: 127 min

Plot:

Milk is a 2008 American biographical film directed by Gus Van Sant. The movie is based on the last 8 years of the late American politician Harvey Milk (Sean Penn), a gay rights activist and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.


Milk opens with archival footage of police raiding gay bars and arresting patrons during the 1950s and 1960s, followed by Dianne Feinstein's November 27, 1978 announcement to the press that Supervisor Harvay Milk and Mayor Goerge Moscone have been assassinated. Milk is seen recording his will throughout the film, nine days (November 18, 1978) before the assassinations. The film then flashes back to 1970, with Milk's first meeting with his lover 20 years old younger, Scott Smith (James Franco) on the eve of his 40th birthday.

One must go through many obstacles to be successful. Gays probably go through double the amount, having to deal with all the discrimination faced. Milk came out of the closet, and visioned to bring those who were still in the closet. Every human has their rights, no matter what your sexual preference is.

I like the part whereby Milk instructed Cleve to be himself and need not blend into the normal world, to take the stairs and make the grand entrance, because they should be proud of themselves. There is nothing to hide and be afraid of. Milk might have died before he could spend the rest of his life with his lover, but the impact that was left behind changed history of America.

I am even more impressed with the gay community , as 30 years ago, with no beepers/SMSes/Internet and they were able to gather all their resources and demonstrated, showed support and upheld their rights. I cannot have imagined that America today, a country who talks about freedom, was conservative about such issues. If this happens today, the amount of gay demonstrators will probably fill up the whole of Singapore.

Watched on 15 Jan evening @ The Cathay.

ah-deng says: 4/5 For those who dare to dream and work towards their dream no matter you are straight or not.