Milk

Gus Van Sant's Milk presents a beautiful biographical portrait of an extremely brave human being, Harvey Milk. Dynamically portrayed by Sean Penn, Milk overcomes his generally timorous disposition and navigates his way up an extremely steep political hill to become the United States's first openly gay politician. Then, possessing a resolve which never lets up and quickly learns the ins and outs of being a San Francisco City Supervisor, he fights against a movement to have homosexual teachers removed from public schools as well as a homophobic campaign led by singer Anita Bryant (archival footage). His character is molded by an unyielding desire to face his fears head on, keeping physical reminders of their content posted upon his fridge, refusing to move his camera shop from a neighbourhood that is initially hostile, and continuing to seek election after being defeated several times. However, his success incites the hatred of fellow City Supervisor Dan White (Josh Brolin), who murders both Milk and Mayor George Moscone (Victor Garber) after hastily resigning from public office. There's an exceptional shot that may win Van Sant the oscar for director of the year as well, that being a whistle lying on the ground upon which Milk can be seen conversing with a police officer. Whistles were used by members of the gay community to sound an alarm if they were being attacked. During the 70s in the Castro district of San Francisco, it didn't always work.

Into the Wild

Sean Penn's directorial debut transforms Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild into a feature length film. The film chronicles the disillusioned mid-twenties crisis of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch). McCandless finishes University, decides not to study law at Harvard, and, much to his parent's dismay, begins a reclusive voyage across the United States (with the pseudonym Alexander Supertramp). His goal is to reach and live within the wilds of Alaska. Along the way, he encounters several free-spirited individuals including Catherine Keener, Hal Holbrook, and the always entertaining Vince Vaughn. Supertramp's travels are fun to watch, his gritty adventurous spirit a free flowing flame glowing throughout the American wilderness. His insights and observations are thought provoking as well, as he hitchhikes along, using quotations from his favourite authors to guide and frame his experience.

Into the Wild is a coming of age film, about life and different ways of approaching it. There are many paths that one can travel and choosing one is not easy. Supertramp seeks one that is natural, living in the woods like Thoreau as a way to confront and discover truth. His pursuit is both bold and naive, the simply complicated consequences of not knowing where or how to fit in. He cannot escape the memories of his parents’ problematic marriage, and his travels are thoroughly haunted by them. Penn's direction juxtaposes their impact with the increasing worries of his family and insights from his sister Carine (Jena Malone), thereby depicting the troubling effects of individuality, and the ways in which hardship transforms relationships. Solutions to these explorations are by no means stable, and Into the Wild illustrates that one's existence is inextricably qualified by their convoluted relations to others.