I should have done this the night I saw it as some of my original thoughts have flown. But it was late and the rest of my weekend was crazy busy. I need a break from the holidays already.

Let me start by saying I loved the film. It is, in my estimation, Gus Van Sant’s strongest work to date. I’ve never been a huge fan of Goodwill Hunting, although I can understand it’s merits. Finding Forrester seemed like a retread of too many other movies and Elephant was much too antiseptic for me. These are just a few of his films but they are representative of his work as a whole.

Van Sant pulls no punches with this film and he must be applauded for that. Milk starts with a chance encounter between Milk and Scott Smith. Smith would become Harvey’s long term love interest. Van Sant doesn’t shy away from the physicality of this relationship, nor should he. We would,most certainly, expect to see these scenes in any mainstream Hollywood movie. Van Sant follows Harvey on his arduos journey to become the first openly gay man to hold public office.

I won’t go over much of the story here. It is well known already to many people. I want to touch on just a few specific things. The performances are all top notch. James Franco is quickly becoming one of the best actors of his generation. He is superbly subtle as the rock on which Harvey stands for the first half of the film and as the concerned ex-lover throughout the rest. Emille Hirsch continues to impress me every time I watch him work. He is going to be a big star. James Brolin is having a career year. After reemerging in No Country For Old Men and then starring as George Bush in Oliver Stone’s biopic W. he almost steals Milk with his portrayal of Dan White the San Francisco supervisor who assassinated Harvey Milk in 1978. Brolin’s scene outside Harvey’s birthday party is brutal and funny.

Van Sant’s greatest moment of direction comes shortly after Harvey and Scott have arrived in San Francisco and rented a store front just outside their apartment. A local business man from across the street confronts them in a none to friendly way. Intimating that they shouldn’t even bother opening their business. Van Sant follows this confrontation with a long wide shot from above of Harvey and Scott kissing in front of their store. It immediately set the tone for the rest of the film. It is now obvious that neither Van Sant, in his film, or Harvey, in his choices, are going to be intimidated. It is a brilliant piece of film making.

The last thing I want to touch on is something that hit me on Sunday. Me and six of my friends travelled to Charlotte for the NFL game between Denver and Carolina. After a day of tailgating and large amounts of testosterone we headed for the stadium. Watching the players warm up and the coach walk the line of players speaking to each one as they were about to do battle Harvey and his friends came back to me. Seems odd at first but it really wasn’t. What Van Sant did so well with his film was to convey a sense of the commraderie of men. The scenes inside Harvey’s storefront which later become his political headquarters are so lovingly shot. These men really enjoy being together in this time and place. It is a wonderful reminder that no matter our sexual orientation, no matter our differences in lifestyle we are still all the same fundamentally. It would be nice to think that we could all understand that one day.