Milk

As I watched this film, I thought back on other films portraying great men and women in history—great films and biographical accounts that tell the stories of their lives. They tell their triumphs, their accomplishments, the events that surrounded their lives and how they affected the world around them. There’s one thing missing from the list I just put forth, however: their faults and tribulations. The hard times, the downfalls, their flaws—quite simply, what makes them human beings.

Gus Van Sant’s biopic “Milk” suffers greatly in this fashion. Without conflict, there can be no climax. Without trials there can be no victory.

A “friend, lover, unifier, politician, fighter, icon, inspiration, and hero” is how the movie was meant to show Harvey Milk, the first outspoken gay who was elected to public office, and who attempted to change the world around him as a gay rights activist during the 1970’s in San Francisco. And Van Sant did just that.

The film begins in 1970 just before Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) moves to San Francisco. Milk moves to Castro Street, a neighborhood with an increasing influx of gays and lesbians, and opens a camera shop, Castro Camera. The movie develops his views as an openly gay man who becomes more and more opposed to the idea of keeping his life and others lives that share his “values” a secret. This influences him to run for City Supervisor, and Van Sant follows his campaign for change and for understanding.

Characterized by influential speeches and humorous moments true to Harvey Milk, after unsuccessfully attempting to gain the City Supervisor seat in 1973, and the two terms following that, he finally garners enough attention from the media and the voters and is elected City Supervisor in 1977.

With the supporting cast anchored by James Franco (Scott Smith, Milk’s lover), as well as Emile Hirsch (Cleve Jones, political activist and advisor) as well as Josh Brolin (Dan White, political rival and antagonist), the film carries a heavy bias against those opposing the gay movement that climaxes in 1977 with Milk’s election and ultimately his assassination in 1978.

This is the greatest problem with this film: its bias. Although a film with this cast and this message could simply tell the story of a man who lived a controversial life, I, as a Christian and film enthusiast, knew it couldn’t be left at that. It would be too simple and too objective to do so. In an age where films such as “W.”, “Religulous,” and “Hamlet 2” are shown to mock Christians and their prejudicial views, it is difficult to expect anything more.

Van Sant places Milk on a pedestal. Unwavering in his enthusiasm, his beliefs, and his attitude, Milk carries on through opposition from both sides, but never falters. With his lover, Smith (Franco) at his side, he conquers the world by taking on the world. So where’s the conflict?

Therein lies the political message, that people who don’t support this sweeping movement don’t understand. They’re blind, unreasonable, and unchanging in the face of reason and knowledge. Milk’s cohorts are never mistaken, he is never guilty of any wrongs, and those that oppose him are portrayed as fools.

The film’s antagonist, Dan White (Josh Brolin) is in fact a Catholic politician, who opposes Milk and what he stands for. In a particular scene, Brolin is having his son baptized, and Milk, out of the goodness of his heart, attends to support his political rival. Of course, Milk, calm and reasonable, simply turns the other cheek when both White and his wife oppose Milk’s presence at the baptism or even the church itself.

I think this is a great problem in many people’s minds about Christians. This generalization that we hate gays and homosexuals, or don’t understand them, or simply don’t even consider them human. But I know that, as a Christian, God has instructed us to love everyone, this obviously includes homosexuals. I’ve always told people “I don’t disapprove of people, and I don’t judge them, but I don’t approve of their lifestyle, and I don’t tell them I have nothing against it.”

Men are all created equal. Every man, woman, and child of every race, religion, and even sexuality, has been created in the image of God. But every man is just that, a man—fallen, a sinner, one who cannot reach the kingdom of heaven through his own righteousness.

Even the greatest of men in the Bible fell: David, Solomon, Moses. Not only were these men not perfect, they were sinners, and the Bible did not hide this. Surprisingly, the Gospel portrays their faults in an obvious light so that we can see and learn from their mistakes, see that although these were great men, or even men “after God’s own heart,” they were far from perfect.

However, Harvey Milk, as far as Van Sant was concerned, was not David or Solomon, or really a man at all. He was the Christ figure of the gay movement, and symbolized the perfection of this movement and its followers, disregarding all the problems that go along with it even today.

Filled with offensive language, multiple gay scenes of men openly kissing, and constant sexual references to help move along the theme that homosexuality is not just “ok,” it’s becoming the norm, and there is nothing wrong with it, this film is far past offensive, and I can honestly say I only saw it to write this review objectively and reasonably.

Just as “Brokeback Mountain” failed as a film, in my mind, because it gave no heed to reason or actual filmmaking, but rather simply stuffed a message down our throat, so does “Milk” fail as a biopic because it is biased, overly offensive, and simply untrue to the story of a man’s life we may never truly know (as far as the big screen is concerned). Van Sant, along with the writers of “Milk,” sacrificed a story, a film, and a biography, to make sure that you understood after watching this that “there’s nothing wrong with being gay.”

In contrast, God's chosen people in Old Testament times were required to strive for pure and holy lives and were thus reminded, “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act” (Lev. 20:13).

Violence: Mild / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Extreme

What’s wrong with being gay? Answer
Homosexual behavior versus the Bible: Are people born gay? Does homosexuality harm anyone? Is it anyone's business? Are homosexual and heterosexual relationships equally valid?

What about gays needs to change? Answer
It may not be what you think.

What should be the attitude of the church toward homosexuals and homosexuality? Answer

Read stories about those who have struggled with homosexuality

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.

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