Film Preview: Freeheld (2015)

Page Revisions:

(July 26, 2015) Original
(September 27, 2015) New Posters (#4-#7)

Release Date:

October 2, 2015

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “New Jersey police lieutenant, Laurel Hester, and her registered domestic partner, Stacie Andree, both battle to secure Hester’s pension benefits when she is diagnosed with terminal cancer.”

Poster Rating: B (3) / C / B / C / C+

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Review: (#1-#3) Trying to sell a film with a symbol that gained prominence after the events in the film took place is a poor excuse for a design, but there is little use denying that it has a strong modern connotation that will elaborate its story elements quite well.

(#4) A rather uninspired design that only shows two women staring at something no one can see but them. It’s not a design that intrigues viewers. (#5) The culmination of the first three designs, this one works much more powerfully even if it’s borrowing an element that existed separately. (#6 & #7) There isn’t much difference between these two designs. They both basically encompass the same moment in the film and while the second closes in on the couple and adds some facing lettering, neither is particularly astute at conveying much more than this is a film about two women in love.

Trailer Rating: B-

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Review: The trailer meanders a bit, but it gives a lot of potentially poignant moments. Those moments, however, are cut off with frequency and the romantic elements of the story seem to be a touch minimized. Still, anyone who knows something about this story or who wants to celebrate gay rights will give this one the benefit of the doubt.

Oscar Prospects:

One of the year’s top two contenders for Best Actress, Julianne Moore could pull off a rare back-to-back win in Best Actress for this piece. The film is also likely to pull Ellen Page along for a nomination and I wouldn’t be surprised if Michael Shannon also nabbed one. The film could also be in the race for a Best Picture nomination, but something about the film just doesn’t seem like it can do much with Oscar outside of its performances. Of course, it taps into a cultural zeitgeist that may give it a bigger boost than it might have had otherwise.