sean penn's oscar winning role in milk served a second viewing last night, and proved to be even more an effective piece of cinema than upon even the first screening suggested. i wasn't intending to do a second write up, but there were a few moments that were noticeably more effective upon second viewing, so much so that it lent itself to a formal re-visitation in words. my original review is HERE.
the main thing that became clear this time around was the sheer power of the relationship between harvey and scotty (james franco). their final conversation, inter cut with scenes of dan white (josh brolin) making his way into the offices of the council stood all the stronger as a result of my knowing of the following events. harvey's final words to scotty (whom takes the mantle of lead of the picture for the final five minutes, post-murder) are so touching that no amount of cynicism can affect that scene. the intercutting of the conversation from the night they met adds a scene that reminded heavily of one of the final scenes of gus van sants good will hunting. the candle lit procession that brings with it the end of the picture serves well at comparing the earlier protest marches, and with it brings an added air of emotional backbone. perhaps the most effective point during the procession comes when the footage flicks from filmed-actor-starring-scenes to archive footage of the actual event, showcasing the sheer scale of harvey's effect on the people he set out to fight for.
in terms of the performances, alongside penn's obvious triumph james franco's understated performance steals the show. the way in which diego luna's jack is the complete opposite to franco's scotty works as a catalyst for the emotions, with the audience's desires played upon heavily. as i mention above, franco takes the mantle of protagonist for the final five minutes, showing just where the heart of the film rests.
in terms of borderline mainstream american cinema, milk rests very highly at the top of the years output so far.
