Milk: You Gotta Give Em Hope

It's been surprisingly difficult for me to write about this film, I feel like this amazing movie deserves an equally amazing piece of writing, something I take to heart. Ironically its always harder for me to write about something I'm passionate about, trying to make it as real and honest as it feels to me. Not to mention my unhealthy obsession with Milk's director, Gus Van Sant, and trying to pay homage to him as an astounding film maker. However, this incredible story, is the true story of one mans pursuit of equality, his campaign for rights, and his ability to bring together a nation in the midst of war, hate, and free love.
Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office, during a time when psychologists still considered homosexuality a mental disorder.
Sean Penn captures the essence that is Harvey Milk, real life friends of Harvey couldn't deny the unbelievable similarities. Van Sant always has a way of bringing life to his characters. We see a different side of James Franco in this movie as Milk's boyfriend Scott Smith, Josh Brolin gives a performance of a lifetime as Dan White, not to mention the moving characters by Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna, and Alison Pill just to name a few. Van Sant's choice of actors in this movie is undeniably perfect, this film without question deserves every critical acclaim, every award nomination it receives, for me, winning no less than Best Director, Best Actor, Best everything. Penn, takes over the movie, with his role as Harvey Milk, the flamboyant but kind-hearted man, you feel the power when he tells Dan White "Its more than an issue, this is our lives were fighting for." This movie carries with it, some of the most compelling speeches and words, in cinema history, not to mention the infamous "Hope Speech" at the 1978 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Festival:

"All men are created equal... and no matter how hard you try... you can never erase those words! that is what America is!"

While these words still ring in my ears, and the chills still roll over my body. I realize the magnitude of Harvey Milk's words, how mesmerizing and honest they were, those words gave people the right to have their hope, to keep it with them and to fight to the death to for it. Unfortunately for us, on November 27, 1978, Harvey Milk, did just that, he was shot and killed along with Mayor George Moscone, Milk was 48 years old.
However heartbreaking the ending to this story is, people like Anita Bryant and John Briggs did not win that day, however determined Dan White was, to kill every hope and close every door, he silenced no one but himself. Even in death Harvey Milk brought people together, through his legacy he will never be forgotten, he has been brought back through Van Sant's incredible movie, he is forever kept in the hearts of those involved, or someone, like me, who is lucky enough to hear about his inspiring life... because no matter how hard they tried, we will never forget his words...

Harvey Milk not only gave hope to the people on Castro Street, not only the people of San Fransisco, his words reached beyond that, and further then he, himself, could have ever imagined, through his hardships he gained recognition, through discrimination he persevered, and through fear he gained power. Harvey Milk was nothing less than a hero.

"If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door."