Freeheld | |
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Directed by | Peter Sollett |
Screenplay by | Ron Nyswaner |
Based on | Freeheld by Cynthia Wade |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Maryse Alberti |
Edited by | Andrew Mondshein |
Music by | |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Lionsgate [2] |
Release dates |
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Running time | 103 minutes [3] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $7 million [4] |
Box office | $1.7 million [5] |
Freeheld is a 2015 American drama film directed by Peter Sollett and written by Ron Nyswaner. The film stars Julianne Moore, Elliot Page, [lower-alpha 1] Michael Shannon, Steve Carell, and Luke Grimes. It is based on the 2007 documentary short film of the same name about police officer Laurel Hester's fight against the Ocean County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders to allow her pension benefits to be transferred to her domestic partner after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The film is based on the true story of Laurel Hester (Moore), a police officer in Ocean County, New Jersey. The story narrates the difficulties faced by a lesbian police detective and her domestic partner, Stacie Andree (Page). Following her diagnosis with terminal lung cancer in 2005, Hester repeatedly appealed to the county's board of chosen freeholders to have her pension benefits passed on to her domestic partner; she was eventually successful. [6]
Screenwriter Ron Nyswaner announced his intention in 2010 to write a feature-length adaptation of Cynthia Wade's 2007 Oscar-winning short film Freeheld, a documentary about New Jersey police officer Laurel Hester's fight against the Ocean County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders to pass on her pension benefits to her domestic partner, Stacie Andree, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. [8] At that time, Elliot Page [lower-alpha 1] had already agreed to star as Andree; he stated in 2014 that he had been involved in the project's development for almost six years. [8] [10] He first became involved after two of the film's producers, Stacey Sher and Michael Shamberg, sent him a copy of Wade's documentary and asked if he was interested in starring in an adaptation, an offer which he accepted "right away". [11] Catherine Hardwicke was attached to the project as director early in its development but later withdrew. [12] Shortly after the film's financing was secured in August 2012, [12] Peter Sollett signed on to replace Hardwicke as director. [13] Julianne Moore was cast as Hester in February 2014. [7] Zach Galifianakis was cast as Steven Goldstein, the founder and then-Chair of Garden State Equality, but was later replaced by Steve Carell. [6] Andree consulted with Page, Sollett and Nyswaner about the making of the film. [14]
Although the film is set in New Jersey, it was filmed in New York due to its more generous tax incentives for filmmakers. [6] Filming began in October 2014 in Queens. In late October, a scene that was supposed to be filmed at Salesian High School, a Catholic boys' school in New Rochelle, New York, had to be relocated after the school's principal reversed his decision to allow the crew to film on the school campus. [15] The shoot was later relocated to the city hall of Rye, New York, which stood in for the Ocean County Administration Building [16] in a scene where Hester and Andree apply for domestic partnership. [15] Another scene, in which Hester lies ill in a hospital room, was filmed in the community center of Greenburgh, New York, [17] while the town board room of North Hempstead, New York stood in for the Ocean County Board of Freeholders' chambers. [18]
The soundtrack was composed by Hans Zimmer & Johnny Marr. It was released at WaterTower Music & iTunes and includes the following tracks. [19]
In February 2015, Lionsgate acquired distribution rights to the film. [20] It received a limited release on October 2, 2015. [21]
Freeheld received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 49% rating based on 136 reviews, with an average rating of 5.62/10. The consensus states: "Freeheld certainly means well, but its cardboard characters and by-the-numbers drama undermine its noble intentions." [22] On Metacritic, the film has a 50 out of 100 rating based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [23]
Burlington County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The county is the largest by area in New Jersey. Its county seat is Mount Holly. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Burlington County's population was 461,860, making it the 11th-largest of the state's 21 counties and representing a 13,126 (2.9%) increase from the 448,734 residents counted in the 2010 census. The most populous place in the county was Evesham Township with 45,538 residents as of the 2010 census. Washington Township covered 102.71 square miles (266.0 km2), the largest area of any municipality in the county.
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Julie Anne Smith, known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is particularly known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent films, as well as for her roles in blockbusters. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Emmy Awards.
Steven John Carell is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott in The Office, NBC’s adaptation of the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, where Carell also worked as an occasional producer, writer and director. Carell has received numerous accolades for his film and television roles, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy for his work on The Office. He was recognized as "America's Funniest Man" by Life magazine.
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Elliot Page is a Canadian actor. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award nomination, two BAFTA Awards and Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and a Satellite Award. Page publicly came out as transgender in December 2020. In March 2021, he became the first openly trans man to appear on the cover of Time.
Ronald L. Nyswaner is an American screenwriter and film director. He has been nominated for numerous awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
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Laurel Anne Hester was a police lieutenant with the Ocean County, New Jersey Prosecutor's Office, who came to national attention with her deathbed appeal for the extension of pension benefits to her domestic partner. Her battle was shown in Freeheld (2007), the winner of the Academy Award for Best Short Documentary, and the feature film of the same name (2015), in which Hester is portrayed by Julianne Moore.
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Freeheld is a 2007 documentary film directed by Cynthia Wade. It chronicles the story of Laurel Hester in her fight against the Ocean County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders to give her earned pension benefits to her partner, Stacie. On February 24, 2008, it won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. The documentary also won a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007.
Cynthia Wade is an American television, commercial and film director, producer and cinematographer based in New York City. She has directed documentaries on social issues including Shelter Dogs in 2003 about animal welfare and Freeheld in 2007 about LGBT rights as well as television commercials and web campaigns. She has won over 40 film festival awards, won an Oscar in 2008, and was nominated for her second Oscar in 2013.
Daniel R. Benson is an American Democratic Party politician who serves in the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 14th Legislative District. Benson, who previously served on the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders, replaced Assemblywoman Linda R. Greenstein, after she was elected to the New Jersey Senate in a special election. He was sworn in on January 10, 2011, to fill Greenstein's vacant Assembly seat.
Julianne Moore is an American actress who made her acting debut on television in 1984 in the mystery series The Edge of Night. The following year she made her first appearance in the soap opera As the World Turns, which earned her a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Ingenue in a Drama Series in 1988. Following roles in television films, Moore had her breakthrough in Robert Altman's drama film Short Cuts (1993). Her performance garnered critical acclaim as well as notoriety for a monologue her character delivers while nude below the waist. Among Moore's releases of 1995 were Todd Haynes' drama Safe and the romantic comedy Nine Months, in which she starred alongside Hugh Grant. In 1997 Moore portrayed a veteran pornographic actress in Paul Thomas Anderson's drama Boogie Nights—a role that earned her first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also appeared in Steven Spielberg's adventure sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park—Moore's biggest commercial success to that point. Two years later she played a wartime adulteress in The End of the Affair for which she received her first Academy Award for Best Actress nomination.
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