Sean Penn delivers an unexpected gem of a performance in Gus Van Sant's humane, intelligent biopic of Harvey Milk, who, in 1978, became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office. Milk remained in the closet until he was 40, before moving from New York to San Francisco with a younger boyfriend (James Franco), and discovering a passion for activism. Penn plays him as a warm, attractive character, and an astute politician with none of the tortured angst more typical of his previous roles. However, Milk's growing political success comes at the expense of his personal life and his relationships with his colleagues, particularly a tightly wound Josh Brolin. Van Sant, reminding us here that he is capable of conventional storytelling as well as such experimental fare as Elephant (2003), wonderfully re-creates the milieu of 1970s San Francisco and handles the material with great skill. And the opening black-and-white archive footage of men being rounded up by police for the crime of going to a gay bar is an unfortunate reminder of very recent history.

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.