After watching Gus Van Sant’s film “Milk” I was surprised by the fact that I didn’t know that gay people who were living in the Castro area during the late seventies were subjected to violent attacks from the police!. Call me naive but I thought that the Castro would have been one area where gay people would have sanctuary from such behaviour.

This story line in the film was eye opening for me and I am a little surprised by this fact of intimidation and violence and being the age that I am (teenager during the late seventies) when I “came out” I dreamed of going to San Fransisco and as I thought it at the time live in a safe haven for homosexuals.

I was also very shocked by Sean Penn’s performance of Harvey Milk which was outstanding and sensitive and coming from a man who’s previous roles which have been ultra masculine and one dimensional, its with great surprise that in “Milk” he can surly act with passion and intelligence.

Eye candy is supplied by James Franco who looked stunningly sexy during the first half of the film with a hot beard and grungy/hippy type clothes and his performance was also believable and heart warming and he brought a sincere and intimate quality to the character.

But really with Gus Van Sant as director the film couldn’t fail, he is in my eyes a genius!

James Franco

Sean Penn

Poster for the Film