MILK

I've been playing back the images of MILK in my head and each time I am transported back to this era of 'Bravery,' when social groups viewed love as just a FOUR LETTER WORD, the display of same sex PDA was illegal but rising above all this brutal chaos came these words from a man who believed that hope was possible, "My name is Harvey MIlk & I'm here to recruit you." The film pulls you in, to bare witness to the early days of a Movement that is still going strong and even with the passing of prop 8 in California, we as a community will not go quietly into the night 'anymore,' for the time is now to raise our voices.

Gus Van Sant, his crew and the actors have made a film that inspires, moves and pulls you into a time when the horizon of equality seemed like a passing ship in the distance. That ship is on it's way to port but it's being delayed by a few problems that challenge all great travelers. The actors all rally around Sean Penn's awesome performance as Supervisor Harvey Milk. Penn's ability to drive into that great ocean that was and still is a major voice of the "Gay Rights Movement," shows that 30 years later we are in need of a Harvey MIlk but I have a feeling he's in every person who believes in fighting for the civil rights of all.

The Filmmaking is raw to the core, editor Elliot Graham's weaving of images together to construct a visual feast, Sean Penn's performance jumps into the film, slaps you around, leaves you filled with hope, the other actors including james Franco, Emile Hirsch & Josh Brolin as Dan White, all help to pull this train of documentation into focus. But keep in mind, all of this would not be possible without the guidance of GUS VAN SANT. The Director who's vision, hard work and tireless fighting gave birth to this AMAZING film of importance, social awareness.

Lay down your judgements, witness a man that challenged the status quo and gave his life for a cause.