The other evening I had the privilege of seeing the film Milk, starring Sean Penn. This movie traces the life of Harvey Milk during his political career, from his grassroots beginnings on Castro street, to his rise as the first openly gay man to win public office in California, and his ultimate demise at the hand of embittered and imbalanced colleague Dan White. This is a phenomenal film, an extraordinarily moving and well done examination of the impact of Harvey Milk for homosexuals around the country, but especially in California. It nicely balances the heart-wrenching personal life of Milk and his friends and partners with his political enthusiasm, perseverance, and accomplishment. The film reaches beyond the man himself to the greater movement for the equality and acceptance of homosexuals throughout the country. It is not a light-hearted family film by any measure, but an important and potentially paradigm-shifting one that should be seen. One can only imagine the effect this film could have had prior to the election this past November.
Milk is especially poignant for those who are trying to understand the nature of homosexuality in the political realm and in the context of a legislative society. It does not view homosexuality (or human nature for that matter) through rose-colored glasses, but instead portrays human beings in their moments of greatest failure and ugliness and in their greatest triumphs and beauty. For those of us who come from conservative backgrounds, who find ourselves coming to grips with a reality that may not initially seem right or good, this film helps ground us in simple humanity, even if it is messy.
The greatest shock regarding this film comes not from the film itself, but from the disturbing fact that I had never heard of Harvey Milk before this. Maybe I have been living under a rock, but I find it more likely that my own, and probably many others’ education has been lacking regarding the history of this country and the lives of its citizens. We have to help open each other’s eyes.
1 Comment
January 3, 2009 at 2:03 pm
So glad that you’re writing again, Peter! Milk is on my list of “Movies to see”; and now, with your seal of approval, I will make it a priority. Thank you.