Harvey Milk’s Hope
His timely, moving and haunting message
A chilling but beautiful vignette, Alex Bohr’s short film Hope presents a fusion of courage and pride against the backdrop of the heart-wrenching assassination of Harvey Milk in 1978. The first openly gay elected official in the history of California, Milk had a vision of a future where every person could be accepted for who they were.
Despite the fact that Milk’s final words were recorded only a few days before his assassination, you don’t hear any fear in his voice. In fact, Milk’s recording echoes the energy of the cause for which he fought. A movement resolute on being heard and not backing down in the face of opposition.
Played over grainy, 70s style footage from San Francisco Pride Weekend 2018, Milk’s words connect beautifully with the images of pride and celebration that were captured. A literal dream come true, the juxtaposition of Milk’s call for action with actual people doing exactly that, is utterly beautiful.
What we admire most about this short film though, is how well it touches on the balance of optimism and perseverance that Harvey Milk demanded from those who continue to support the LGBT movement. This idea, that it’s worth the struggle of fighting against oppression if you are able to encourage those who need it most, is not only touching but increasingly relevant in a world where hope is sometimes a scarce commodity.
Alex Bohr captures Milk’s sentiment beautifully not only in his film but in the description he published along with it saying, “In short, I do believe that hope fueled us then and that more hope will reaffirm us now and into the future. We just gotta stay vigilant while we also ‘give [’em] hope.'”
