milk: there is a light that never goes out

Time flew back to the mid 80's. When I was just graduated I often went to the tiny office of Zuni at Wanchai. There were movie and video screenings every night at the little "theatre" there, it was there where I first heard of the name Harvey Milk. I remembered Zuni always placed this documentary work "The Times of Harvey Milk" in their screening programme once every few months, but I had never watched this work during that time.

I had not really realised my sexuality during that times, only I knew I had certain fantasies about the bodies and souls of the same sex. I only knew Harvey Milk was a person fighting for gay and human rights but was assassinated, I had no special feeling towards this person at that moment. Until the 90's when I was pretty sure about what a person I was, I came across the movie that changed my life hereafter, Gus Van Sant's "My Own Private Idaho".

Till now, I understand the importance to raise out the voice of the minorities in the public, but is still not eager to stand to the front to experience any social incidents concerning gay issues, such as the discussion with the religious organisations about the home violence ordinance protecting gay couples, and not to mention the gay march walking within the public.

And this year, the two names finally unite and here is the movie "Milk" that records the last few memorable years of the legendary hero, who marched a great step in the history of gay movement, fought against the moral misjudgements to gay community, and the most important of all, the person who defended the basic human rights of people who bear a different living mode.

Like every other leader of any social movement, the hero started his early years as a nobody. Harvey Milk started his career in the little Castro Street of the 70's San Francisco with his boy friend Scott, a tiny camera shop where different people gathered there to form their own community afterwards. Milk started to recruit them from the streets, they were either kid from the arts school, enthusiastic local social movement organisers, guys from the union of workers, and hot blood teenager who just suffered from the loss of his boy freind. Gradually they formed a group helping the gay people in the district, from defending themselves against the violence of the police to expelling the beer company which was not gay friendly within the bars.

Harvey started his speech on the street, leading his team to expand their exposure from a small group to entering the system machine. He understood the rules of the game to get himself popular and to be seen in the public media. From changing the way he looks to devoting himself in meetings and negotiations with politicians from opposite parties. The movie brings us back to the times when Harvey stands up and persuades the public to break their own closet doors. His theory was the gay community themselves have to declare their own existance to their families, colleagues and friends, in other to fight for their rights in the conservative society. The political beliefs of Harvey extends from caring of the elderly and minorties, to fight against the ordinance against gay teachers by firing them. The sayings and the attacking points of the religious groups and politicians had not been changed during these 30 years, similar sayings can still be heard in the local news against gay couples. The world has not changed a bit for these years.

This is the first mainstream production of the director after his years of experimental projects like "Gerry", "Elephant" and "Paranoid Park", and is his most outstanding and beautifully shot film in his career. Gus Van Sant uses lots of real news footages and photo shots to reinforce the atmosphere of the 70's when Harvey Milk devoted his latest years defending the rights of the gay community, and being the first openly gay man elected to the political office of USA. Though I will never have the strength and guts to follow the deeds of Harvey, his sayings and spirits will stay in my mind hereafter.

If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door.