Sean Penn is absolutely brilliant as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to hold public office in the United States. His life is portrayed as a fluid evolution of character and passion - through his interactions with the incredibly convincing supporting cast (including Josh Brolin, Emilie Hirsch, and the always fantastic James Franco) and the internal conflicts Milk struggled to overcome. Even after leaving the theatre, I was absolutely stunned by the message of hope and the power of change in an otherwise hopeless world.