Milk
Milk is a film rich with irony, born from the many paradoxes presented by its titular character. All of America's great political leaders were a portrait in contradiction, and Harvey Milk, while certainly lesser known because of the limited scope of his life, is no exception.
A formerly closeted insurance adjuster from New York who moved to San Francisco in the early 1970s, Milk was outraged by the civil rights violations committed against homosexuals in the neighborhood where he lived, and a life of political activism was born. After several unsuccessful campaigns for city supervisor and state representative, Milk finally won election as city supervisor in 1978 and became the first openly gay person in the United States elected to public office.
The biggest irony is how his homosexuality had nothing to do with his death by assassination. Rather, it was turning himself from an activist into a politician which caused his demise when he used the political power he fought so hard for to undermine and humiliate a fellow city supervisor who was more unstable than anyone knew. His own political positions were a catch-22 as well, such as insisting that all gays out themselves to their families, friends and employers to help defeat a proposition which was aimed at destroying their personal privacy.
Milk could have been a lot more preachy than it is, a testament to Gus Van Sant's decision to let events speak for themselves, rather than belaboring the obvious. His use of actual historical footage from the major events portrayed in the film (marches, protests, news coverage, etc.) is a nice touch which solidifies the abstract idea of a 30-year-old gay rights movement into a still relevant reality.
As opposed to his imbecilic approach to political causes, Sean Penn's quality as an actor is almost unmatched. He gives real dignity and humanity to a somewhat flamboyant character which easily lent itself to camp, and he is surrounded by a group of exceptional supporting actors, especially Emile Hirsch, one of many straight actors in the film who do fine job of playing gay without exaggerating it.
As biopics go, Milk earns high marks for its even-handed portrayal of an interesting subject by staying focused on the brief, but very consequential time in his life which positively impacted the lives of every gay and lesbian American, then and now.