Review of Milk (2005) by Lasse L — 14 Mar 2011

Somehow I had managed to miss this film when it was released three years ago, although I have studies social movements and civil rights campaigning in the US has always been of interest and a source of inspiration for me. However, I have known virtually nothing of gay rights struggle and movement there. Actually, I haven't known of any contentious movement campaigns where gays have got politically organized the same way that workers, blacks or ethnic minorities have.

Now I know of such a campaign. "Milk" is an inspirational movie. The picture it paints is quite clean (Milk, for example, isn't portrayed as a controversial character, but rather as virtuous), but human and credible. The 70s are brought to the screen with tremendous authenticity. Dan White (Josh Brolin) is a multifaceted figure, but Jack Lira (Diego Luna) raises a question: what was such a character needed for? Perhaps he's a needed, unexplained part in an otherwise smoothly working machine. This is based on real events, after all.