Freeheld (2007) User Reviews

A New Jersey Lesbian Couple fight for their rights!

[Sylviastel · 7/10 · 23 February 2008]

Cancer stricken Laurel Hester was a police woman in the New Jersey shore town of Point Pleasant, New Jersey when she was stricken with lung cancer. At the time of her diagnosis, she fought for her pension to be given to her partner/longtime companion/wife Staci Andree. The documentary shows the woman's battle for life and to help her partner obtain a sum of about $13,000 which isn't much but it would be able to maintain their modest New Jersey home. Laurel's fight could be symbolic of many in the battlefield. It's not so much about lesbianism as it is about politics in the garden state that is the most corrupt in the nation. The freeholders was resistant in letting Andree obtain the money probably to pocket themselves. Laurel and Staci's fight went public because it had no other choice. Laurel's colleagues at the police department also supported her right to designate her partner as the recipient of her pension. With all the revelations about New Jersey politics, politicians such as the freeholders which are more like county alder persons are the last people to make such a decision. It was Laurel's decision and she fought hard just as she did for her life. In the end, this documentary shows a loving couple regardless of their sexual orientation who fight to obtain what is really theirs. The fact that she was fighting from her deathbed is really heartbreaking. Here, she dedicated her life to fighting crime only to be almost denied of what was hers all along. The Ocean County Freeholders should be ashamed themselves for denying a dying woman's last request. By the way, New Jersey politicians have been double-dipping (meaning that they could be collected 2 pensions under the current plan) which is another aggravating circumstance. Since I live in New Jersey, the corruption is just awful and all politicians (even the former governor known as a "Gay American" could have came forward help Laurel's cause but he is too busy and is part of the corruptive mess). He doesn't care and neither does most politicians about the people like Laurel who came to serve their community. That's the real tragedy here. It's not about morals, judgment, or what's right but about the power of the almighty dollar. Ocean County probably wanted to take what was so little and probably use it for themselves. Without Laurel's pension of only $13,000, her partner Staci would lose their home since the property taxes are about that much in our state. It's not that much money to the politicians but it is to somebody who has already lost so much.

Diary of a dying woman

[Horst_In_Translation · 8/10 · 8 October 2015]

"Freeheld" is an Academy Award winning documentary short film from almost 10 years ago. This is about former policewoman Laurel Hester, who is dying from cancer. But not only does she have to cope with her fate, she also fights in order to get her partner Stacie as the heir of her pension benefits. Now, this would not be a problem if Stacie were a man and the two were married, but obviously that was not an option back then. We see interviews with the two women, with Laurel's former colleagues and a couple courtroom scenes where this issue is debated. And there is something similar to a happy ending, even if Laurie obviously dies. It is a moving documentary, no doubt about it, and shows that reality is much better and memorable than most of the uncountable number of gay-themed short movies out there that mostly suck. Glad to see it honored by the Academy. The story of these two women is interesting enough for Hollywood to make a movie on this issue. It's going to come out soon with Julianne Moore and Ellen Page playing the couple. But back to this documentary, I certainly recommend it. Thumbs up.