Milk

I'd become rather fond of Gus Van Sant's recent dreamy, non-lineae style. It worked a treat on Elephant and Last Days. Milk, however, sees a return to a more mainstream approach which, in terms of tempting audiences to see a film about a gay activist, makes commercial sense. Not that it's Hollywood-bland biopic. It's framed by Harvey Milk recording his testament in the event of an assassination (shown very early to be presient) and there is plentiful use of contemporary footage, news reports and photographs. This helps tremedously in establishing the milieu of 1970s San Francisco, and the Castro Street district in particular. It also puts the onus in recreating a similar authenticity in the dramatic sequences. Thus the first half is prey to "chronology by hairstyle", which proves to be rather distracting. The 1970s truly was the decade bypassed by taste. Emile Hirsch has the misfortune to combien a mop of curly hair with alarmingly oversized and unflattering pair of glasses.
By it's very nature (covering a period of 8 years) the film is episodic - another riot averted! another failed political campaign! - and it takes a while to sort out who's who among the minor characters. Once Milk achieves office and encounters Josh Brolin's Dan White however things really click into place. In some ways it's difficult to believe all this happened a mere 30 years ago, especially the concerted campaign to deprive not just gay teachers but also *anyone* who supported them, of their jobs. It does remind one of the continuing influence of the religious right and their involvement in the political life of the country. Likewise, the emphasis might be on preserving the civil rights of gay people but it also resonates strongly with the current whittling away of civil rights by one means or another. In some ways, these echoes are Milk's most impressive achievement.