Milk

Milk is currently streaming in the US on Amazon Prime Video and History Vault, and it rewards the patience it asks of you. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Sean Penn anchors it with a performance that rewards close attention. Available now on Amazon Prime Video — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

There is a reason Milk keeps coming up in conversation. Milk trusts its audience to sit with discomfort instead of resolving it too quickly. The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans. Sean Penn and Emile Hirsch lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2008. What elevates Milk is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Milk is what you recommend to people who say they do not really watch much. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Sean Penn is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.