DVD/VIDEO: Freedomland

FREEDOMLAND (2006)

My Rating: **** (out of *****)
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Julianne Moore, Edie Falco, Ron Eldard, William Forsythe
Director: Joe Roth

My Review:
For all those film fans who haven’t yet heard of it, there’s a great website called Rotten Tomatoes (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/). Film critics across the country say “yea” or “nay” to a movie, and Rotten Tomatoes makes an average of these numbers, assigning an overall percentage rating to the film. A 60% or higher positive average deems the picture “fresh,” while those let fortunate are labeled “rotten.” Cute. Generally, those films that are designated “rotten,” especially if their percentile rating is extremely low, tend to be just that. With a whopping 25%, one would expect Freedomland - a gritty, racially themed drama – to be a surefire dud. It is anything but.

Directed by Joe Roth and based upon a novel by Richard Price, Freedomland features a solid Sam Jackson as Lorenzo, a New Jersey police detective who is called upon to investigate a child abduction case that threatens to rip the already strained community apart with its explosive racial issues. Brenda (Julianne Moore), the mother of the abducted child, claims that a black man took her son. The predominately African-American community threatens to riot. Brenda seems anything but trustworthy – she is shifty, hysterical, and her story doesn’t make a lot of sense. But something about this poor woman’s plight captures Lorenzo, who gives Brenda the benefit of the doubt even when it is against his better judgment to do so. The mystery unravels in a way that may not be totally unexpected, but is startling, tragic, and magnificently redemptive nonetheless.

The story of Freedomland is certainly strong, and the themes, while familiar, are important and timely (though the filmmakers do produce some trite moments in this regard). But this movie’s real strength lies in its female performances. Jackson, a decent if overrated actor, does fine with his part. Ron Eldard and William Forsythe, both good actors, are woefully underused. But Julianne Moore again reminds us that she is one of today’s finest actresses with a performance that virtually flays the viewer with its raw intensity and power. Moore is brave here, willing to be downright ugly (emotionally more than physically) at times in her depiction of a mother on the edge. Her pivotal scene comes two-thirds of the way through the movie, and it is more than worth the wait. In this exquisite and unforgettable sequence, Moore takes us into the depths of an emotional hell, churning up conflicting feelings of disgust and pity that vacillate at the turn of a sentence.

Edie Falco, also a tremendous performer, snatches ever scene she appears in as the steely head of a mysterious coalition of parents who have each had a child go missing. The scene in which Falco smoothly and icily attempts to get some difficult information from Moore’s character is simply and utterly breathtaking.

For all its dark, heavy material, Freedomland turns out to be a remarkably positive experience. Lorenzo’s faith in God sees him through a series of severe trials, and though broken and wounded for what he has endured, Lorenzo is able, humbly, to extend a hand of grace to the distressed, disheveled, and hopeless Brenda, and in so doing, extends that hand to himself. The closing sequences of Freedomland are bleakly beautiful and ruthlessly hopeful.

R, for an abundance of strong language, mature subject matter, and violence, including disturbing descriptions of violent acts