Relatively speaking, "Milk" has some surprises for audiences who are familiar with and unfamiliar with the style of director Gus Van Sant. The film presents the situation of the times from a personal point of view, without deliberately "pretending" to be very heavy; at the same time, if the camera can feel the temperature, the director's schedule is neither cold nor hot: it is the kind of space that is close to the space to be expressed. People and things, but without the effect of creating a sense of urgency, is a slightly ambiguous and cordial perspective, which is in harmony with the subject matter of the film and even the background atmosphere of the times.
In terms of performance focus, the film is a movie that emphasizes "people" rather than "things." Regarding the specific process of Milk's successive campaigns, the director either ignored or merely seized the scenes that highlighted the protagonist's character. In these scenes, the focus of performance is not about the situation at the time or the results, but the state of Milk at the time. In other words, the film wanted to create a kind of "infectiousness". From the person, not the subject" effect. In addition, looking at homosexuality from the perspective of "people" rather than the perspective of "rights" also coincides with the purpose of the gay fight for civil rights in the film.
In terms of appearance, Sean Penn does not seem to be as graceful as the real Milker in history, but he does perform the character's unique affinity with extraordinary spirit. The director's shots are as friendly and natural as Sean Penn's performance. The way the camera moves, the angle of viewfinder, and even the color setting in the film are in line with Milk’s personal charm, and the core of the hippie culture that advocated freedom in the 1970s. There is a kind of lazy warmth. This is true even in scenes that are passionate, or shocking and sad. In this way, the audience's sorrow for Milk's departure will not stay on the level of sorrow for too long, and more will turn into speechless, positive contagion, full and unpretentious.
In general, director Gus Van Sant cleverly focused his perspective on people at the center of history, and he was fortunate to find the actor Sean Penn, who can have both body and soul. The rhythm and atmosphere of the overall scheduling of the film are in line with the characteristics of the time. It can be described as the unity of heaven, earth and man, reaching the extreme in the space where the theme can be interpreted.
