To me, the references to Dan White, Anita Bryant and proposition 6 bore a clear connection to the more recent shame of proposition 8, the killing of the gay man referred to Matthew Sheppard’s death in 1998 and the footage at the beginning of the film drove home exactly why the powers that be were so misguided about persecuting gay people. The whole point was that they were hated for no particular reason. None of the men shown at the beginning of the film had done anything wrong! (for the record: “God says it’s wrong” is not a reason. Any good reason, also convinces those who do not believe in (a) God).

The clever thing about this film is that Van Sant gives the equal rights opposants (like Bryant) a voice but that their voice only makes sense to those who are too lazy or stupid to actually listen to what they’re saying. Dan White, when he voices his objections to the gay pride parade is almost right. Almost. But only if you don’t actually pay attention to what he is really saying and that to me is the point Van Sant is making. That the people opposed to equal rights more often than not use rethorics instead of valid arguments to convince people. And that many among the great susceptible masses will follow someone because of how something is said, instead of what is said.

I also liked the way Van Sant blended historical footage with his vision of Harvey and his fellow activists. And I regularly forgot I was watching Sean Penn (I never forgot I was watching Mickey Rourke, which is why I think Penn was right to get the Oscar instead of Rourke).

To me Milk was a valuable history lesson that resonates into the present, and Van Sant managed to achieve that because he made a good film, instead of merely a biopic. Even if you don’t give a crap about gay rights, you can watch this and have a pleasant movie-going experience, simply because Van Sant is such a good director. I enjoyed the operatic references, I enjoyed the zest that Van Sant infuses into the film and the film’s characters, I enjoyed the camp.

For those who want to know more about the real Harvey Milk: check out The Times of Harvey Milk, an Oscar-winning documentary about Milk.