Freeheld

Freeheld is a 2015 American drama film directed by Peter Sollett and written by Ron Nyswaner. The film stars Julianne Moore, Elliot Page, 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.
==Plot==
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.
==Cast==
*Julianne Moore as Laurel Hester
*Elliot Page as Stacie Andree
*Michael Shannon as Dane Wells
*Steve Carell as Steven Goldstein
*Luke Grimes as Todd Belkin
*Josh Charles as Bryan Kelder
*Mary Birdsong as Carol Andree
*Kelly Deadmon as Lynda Hester D'Orio
*Gabriel Luna as Quesada
*Anthony DeSando as Toohey
*Skipp Sudduth as Chief Reynolds
*William Sadler as Peter Santucci
*Dennis Boutsikaris as Pat Gerrity
*Adam LeFevre as Don Bennett
*Traci Hovel as Hannah
===Soundtrack===
The soundtrack was composed by Hans Zimmer & Johnny Marr. It was released at WaterTower Music & iTunes and includes the following tracks.
#"On The Case"
#"Can I Have Your Number?"
#"House Hunting"
#"Can't Leave Her"
#"The Decision"
#"Justice"
#"Remembering"
==Release==
In February 2015, Lionsgate acquired distribution rights to the film. It received a limited release on October 2, 2015.
===Critical reception===
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." On Metacritic, the film has a 50 out of 100 rating based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
The film was listed by Autostraddle in 7th place of the best 102 lesbian films ever.
Category:2015 films
Category:English-language films
Category:2015 drama films
Category:2015 LGBT-related films
Category:American films
Category:American drama films
Category:American LGBT-related films
Category:Films scored by Johnny Marr
Category:Films scored by Hans Zimmer
Category:Films about cancer
Category:Films directed by Peter Sollett
Category:Films produced by Elliot Page
Category:Films set in New Jersey
Category:Films shot in New York (state)
Category:Films shot in New York City
Category:LGBT-related drama films
Category:LGBT-related films based on actual events
Category:Lesbian-related films
Category:Summit Entertainment films
Category:Rated PG-13
Category:1:85:1 Aspect Ratio Films