Freedomland - A Review

Freedomland – A Review

Today I went to see Freedomland starring Samuel L. Jackson, Julianne Moore, and Edie Falco. I hadn’t heard much about it beforehand and didn’t quite know what to expect.

I have a tendency to be very sensitive to movies. I use a lot of tissue at the theatres’ expense. And have been afflicted with what I call ‘theatre throat’ many times. Theatre throat is that very uncomfortable tightness you feel in your throat due to your attempt to suppress a cry while watching a movie in the midst of others with whom you wish to remain composed. I am sure some of you out there with actual emotions know of what I am speaking.

While watching Freedomland, I had thee worst theatre throat ever! And it is not like I really held it in all that much either. This movie was very emotional, powerful, and disturbing. It was also suspenseful as you really weren’t sure what direction it was going to take you. This is one of those movies that could have several alternate endings and all likely would have been superb. I have not read the book, but did get the impression a lot was left out of the movie, as there were some loose ends. But nevertheless, the good outweighed the bad.

The most breathtaking aspect of this film was the acting preformed by Julianne Moore. Not once in the entire movie did I see her as an actress. She was a disturbed, heartbroken, fearful mother from start to finish. Her acting in this movie was undoubtedly one of the best performances I have literally ever seen. I have read in other reviews that some of her character’s lines made no sense, that they didn’t fit in with the dialogue. My answer to this is quite simple. Put yourself in the characters shoes and then tell me everything you say is going to be articulate, poignant, and sensible. I thought her script and acting made this one of the most believable characters I have ever seen on screen. I am a highly sensitive person, and I could feel such energy from her scenes that I normally do not feel unless it is real life footage of real people. I felt her pain. She was real. And THAT is what acting is all about.

Not to ignore the magnificent Sam Jackson who was also quite illuminating in his own right. And a particular scene with Edie Falco was fascinating.

This won’t be a long review as I try very hard not to give any spoilers. And even more than that, they are few words to describe how moving and memorable this film was to me.