The Academy Awards celebrate the film works of many and often, the category that brings about much bitterness is Best Documentary. This category has been so dominated by films concerning World War 2 and it's very long shadows, anything about recent events, such as "The Thin Blue Line" or "Crumb", don't always have a fair chance at being nominated, much less winning.
It's to the credit of all involved here that they help us learn more about Harvey Milk and the world before and after his assassination. Murdered minutes after Dan White fatally shot San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, Milk became the most visible example since the late Martin Luther King of a progressive figure almost certainly living each day as if it were his last. The climate of hate never truly ceases, it just moves at night and waits for the moment to destroy yet another person who bravely won't shut up and accept their oppression with a smile.
Rob Epstein gives us the authentic footage featuring deathly quiet moments of grief from a candlelight procession thousands took part in after Milk died and the counterpoint, rioting in the streets after the ridiculously light sentence White was given became public knowledge. They're both equally poignant and two sides of the same psychosocial coin. For a jury to call what White did "manslaughter" was really lighting a fuse that wouldn't be put out until the inevitable explosion occurred.
Human rights are not a top priority the world over and the abuses so many suffer with no recourse for justice are our 21st century mission to take on. Harvey Milk sacrificed for the next generation to have an easier life than him and his contemporaries. Now is the time to watch this great film and acknowledge his impact and legacy.
It's to the credit of all involved here that they help us learn more about Harvey Milk and the world before and after his assassination. Murdered minutes after Dan White fatally shot San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, Milk became the most visible example since the late Martin Luther King of a progressive figure almost certainly living each day as if it were his last. The climate of hate never truly ceases, it just moves at night and waits for the moment to destroy yet another person who bravely won't shut up and accept their oppression with a smile.
Rob Epstein gives us the authentic footage featuring deathly quiet moments of grief from a candlelight procession thousands took part in after Milk died and the counterpoint, rioting in the streets after the ridiculously light sentence White was given became public knowledge. They're both equally poignant and two sides of the same psychosocial coin. For a jury to call what White did "manslaughter" was really lighting a fuse that wouldn't be put out until the inevitable explosion occurred.
Human rights are not a top priority the world over and the abuses so many suffer with no recourse for justice are our 21st century mission to take on. Harvey Milk sacrificed for the next generation to have an easier life than him and his contemporaries. Now is the time to watch this great film and acknowledge his impact and legacy.