GUS Van Sant's stylish and haunting biopic celebrates the power of one man to take on the political establishment and to affect lasting change through a selfless, unwavering pursuit of equality for all.

On November 27, 1978, Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California, was gunned down, along with Mayor George Moscone, by city supervisor Dan White.

The gunman had learned that he would lose his job after publicly supporting Proposition 6, which advocated the removal of gay and lesbian schoolteachers from the state's schools. Milk pays tribute to this crusading politico with effortless style and jaw-dropping emotional power, rendering us speechless and tear-sodden as the film recreates the torchlight procession of tens of thousands of local people to honour the activist's murder.

The parallels between present and past are evident when Harvey cheers "We gotta give 'em hope," during a rally, a sentiment plied by Democrats to sweep Obama into power.

Milk opens with Harvey (Penn) sitting at his kitchen table, speaking into a cassette recorder.

"This is Harvey Milk speaking on Friday November 18th. This is to be played in the event of my death by assassination…"

We mourn, we remember and we celebrate his legacy through Van Sant's lens.