Gus Van Sant's triumphant, rather mainstream biopic about the life and assassination of the first openly gay man elected to major public office in America, Harvey Milk. Sean Penn leads a phenomenal cast that includes Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, Alison Pill, and a mustached James Franco. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, the film was especially zeitgeisty given that its critical and box-office accolades were diametrically countered by the success of Proposition 8, a 2008 referendum to ban same-sex marriage in          Gus Van Sant---America---2008---128 mins.