By Hannah Powling
Based on the real lives of two women, Freeheld is the love story of Laurel Hester and Stacie Andree, and their fight for justice. I went to see this touching film last night; and it is definitely one to see..
Julianne Moore stars as Laurel Hester, a well-respected New Jersey detective, but held back from anyone knowing that she is a lesbian to her colleagues; worried it would jeopardise her career and well-earned respect from her peers, even her kind work partner Dane Wells (Michael Shannon) is unaware. She randomly meets much younger mechanic Stacie Andree (Ellen Page), who helps Laurel come out of her shell after they both fall in love and the two enter into a domestic partnership and move in together.
Tragically, Laurel is diagnosed with late-stage terminal lung cancer and wants to leave her hard-earned pension behind to Stacie so she can stay in the home they had lovingly built together after she is gone. Slowly, her colleagues start to find out about her personal life and situation and her partner Dane is saddened she didn’t feel she could confide in him. At this point, the tears are starting to fall down my cheeks (there was lots more after this point). To me, Ellen Page was perfect for this role; you feel her pain and her youth makes her seem innocent and fragile, but she holds together a tough exterior. You admire her for her maturity and her bravery; especially in front of Laurel… she certainly tugged at my heartstrings.
The county officials, the Freeholders, conspire to prevent Laurel from being able to do what she wants with her pension. And this is where things get tough. Steven Goldstein (Steve Carell), unites in Laurel and Stacie’s case to help them. I must add here that Carell played the garish gay Jewish activist brilliantly – stereotypical yes, as he even calls himself the “big, loud, gay Jew” but his character adds in a few much-needed giggles into the film. I recall one of his best lines to Laurel being “Oh honey, I’d marry you, but I wouldn’t know what to do with your vagina.”
Steven rallies up police officers and ordinary citizens in the support of the two women and their fight for equality.
Spoiler alert – thankfully they win their case before it’s too late, but it was a close call and you feel angry it had to get to that point. But Stacie gets to carry on living in their home after Laurel passed away. You know this landmark moment in history was the move in the right direction and before the film credits you can see photos of the couple, Laurel and Stacie.
I left the screening enlightened, mournful, proud, moved, sad; everything all at once. It left me with my mind whirring and playing over and over. I think thats when you know you’ve just watched an exceptional film.
Watch the trailer here;
Freeheld is out in UK cinemas on 19th February.
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