The First "Freeheld" Trailer is Full of Promising Performances

Left to right: Julianne Moore and Ellen Page

With America currently living in an era where gay marriage is legal and LGBT culture has become more accepted, it is exciting to see what the landscape ahead looks like. There's a plethora of gay-themed movies coming out this Fall that all stand some chance of making a splash. Among them is director Peter Sollett's Freeheld, which follows a lesbian couple as they deal with a series of legal issues regarding penchants in time of crisis. Starring last year's Oscar winner Julianne Moore (Best Actress - Still Alice) and Oscar nominee Ellen Page (Best Actress - Juno), it is looking to enter the raise strong with a potentially uplifting and unique look into love and hope in the modern era.

Recently, I wrote an article posing a simple question: Can a positive gay-themed movie win Best Picture? With only 8% of the Best Picture nominees since 2000 featuring a gay character or theme, it does seem like it is an uphill battle to get equal representation in awards circles. While I am quick to note that there's a lot of high profile LGBT films lined up for this Fall, there is no guarantee at this point that they will even be on a radar. It is what makes the months leading up to awards season exciting. Anything is possible. One can believe that this year will be different from last year's controversial "Oscars So White" route that didn't leave the best impression with most voters.

The one upside that Freeheld has going for it is that there's a star studded cast at the center. Moore is coming off of an Oscar win with Page, Michael Shannon, and Steve Carrell all also having a nomination to their name. While this has proven not to be a guarantee, it does bode confidence that maybe this will be enough to sway voters. Of course, the film will need to be really good as well. Even then, it is a story that feels timely thanks to Page's character fighting for the rights to earn her dying lover's (Moore) penchant. It is an uplifting story for sure that may have all of the dramatic beats to be a front runner.

Check out the trailer below:

Looks pretty good. Here's the plot description according to IMDb:

New Jersey police lieutenant, Laurel Hester, and her registered domestic partner, Stacie Andree, both battle to secure Hester's pension benefits when she is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Much like all movies at this point, I am unsure what exactly to make of who should be a front runner. With a strong year for activism films, I am predicting the slightly more prestigious Suffragette to steal a lot of these films' thunder. Even then, there's still a chance that this year could be counter to last year's predominantly frustrated white male-centric films. Maybe we're looking at one of the stronger years for LGBT films. Who knows. All I know is that this one is likely going to be on the radar as a contender.