Freedomland (film)
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Freedomland is a 2006 film starring Samuel L. Jackson and Julianne Moore. Richard Price adapted his own novel, which touches on themes of covert racism. Joe Roth directs the film.
Plot
Late one night in a working class New Jersey suburb, a bloodied woman staggers mute and dazed into the emergency room at the Dempsy Medical Center. After treatment for shock and hysteria, Brenda Martin (Julianne Moore) recounts to Dempsy police detective Lorenzo Council (Samuel L. Jackson) -- a horrific tale of being carjacked on the isolated strip of undeveloped land that divides Dempsy's urban housing projects from the blue collar town of Gannon, where she lives. She claims she was forced out of her car by a black man, but during the interrogation Council senses he's not getting the whole story. Only after hours of questioning does Brenda finally break down and confess that her four-year-old son, Cody, was asleep in the back seat of the stolen car. Led by activist Karen Collucci (Edie Falco), members of the communities of Dempsy and Gannon unite in a search for the missing child, but the criminal investigation into the alleged kidnapping by a suspect who is presumed to be a local from the projects soon ignites long-simmering racial tensions between the two towns.The story was inspired by true events about South Carolina, USA's Susan Smith who sent the nation into a panic when she said a black man had stolen her car with her sons in the backseat. She pleaded on live television for help to get the man and her children back. A few weeks later her car was found abandoned in a lake with her sons dead in the backseat. Upon investigation of the accident, there was no sign of the car jacker nor much evidence to claim the car was stolen. Soon, evidence began to point to Smith who eventually confessed to murdering her children.
Release and Reaction
Originally believed to be an Oscar contender, Freedomland was set for release on December 25th, 2005. However, after negative test screenings, it was moved back to a lower-profile release date of February 17th, 2006. It was advertised as a thriller in the vein of Julianne Moore's previous hit The Forgotten, but this tactic did not help the film with its reception. Critics hated it for the most part, most citing Moore's overacting and the contrived storyline as its main flaws. The New York Times especially hated the film, calling it "an early contender for the worst film of the year." However, Edie Falco did receive some praise for her supporting role. Audiences did not respond well either. When it finally left theaters, it had only grossed around $12.6 million at the U.S. box office.External links
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