‘Freeheld’ Trailer: Julianne Moore and Ellen Page Fight for Their Rights

The Freeheld trailer presents a “based on true events” period piece drama that is all about the social injustices of another era. Unlike most movies cut from this cloth, this particular case of social injustice isn’t being remembered several decades later, but only 10 years after the fact. The story of a lesbian couple’s battle for equal treatment in the eyes of the law, Freeheld couldn’t have landed in a more appropriate year. 2015 has been a year of victories for the LGBT community and this trailer is a reminder of how quickly change has come and just how many worlds away 2005 is from today.

That doesn’t mean the trailer for Freeheld is particularly impressive. Cut without much panache, it looks more like a TV movie than a promising awards contender starring Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Michael Shannon, and Steve Carell. However, we’d be fools to dismiss any movie with that cast and double-fools to dismiss a movie that wants to tell a story this relevant and heart-wrenching. Amateurish trailer or not, this movie is on our radar.

Moore stars as Laurel Hester, a New Jersey police detective who wants her pension to be given to her domestic parter (Page) after she’s diagnosed with lung cancer. The state disagrees. A dramatic court battle ensues, with Shannon playing Moore’s gruff partner/ally and Carell playing the slightly flamboyant attorney who assists them with their case. For those who want to know what ultimately transpired, the 2007 Oscar-winning documentary short of the same name will fill you in on the details.

Freeheld is directed by Peter Sollett and is scheduled for release on October 2, 2015.