If there were ever a prime example of a trailer misleading the viewer-other than "Spanglish"-"Freedomland" would be it. The trailer makes the movie out to be a crazy thriller, only briefly mentioning the race issues that underscore the film. And the part about the insane asylum? Only a very minimal part of the plot.
The basic plot is such: Brenda Martin (Julianne Moore) stumbles into the local hospital, saying she was carjacked by a young black man from the projects and that her four-year-old son, Cody, is still in the car. Detective Lorenzo Council (Samuel L. Jackson), who is from the projects, is assigned to her case. The tension in the film stems from the conflict between the projects and the next town over, Gannon, which is a more affluent area.
Brenda's brother, Danny (Ron Eldard), is a detective with the Gannon police and a very temperamental guy. When he and his fellow cops get wind of the situation, they initiate a lockdown on the projects to find the kidnapper, much to the horror of its residents. The decision causes incredible friction within the whole community, with friends turning on friends and family turning on family.
Brenda's plight attracts the attention of the Friends of Kent, a group whose primary purpose is to find missing children. The group is led by the somber and focused Karen Collucci (Edie Falco). As racial tensions escalate and Brenda breaks down more and more, Council begins to have doubts about the truth of Brenda's story. As a group, though, the main characters finally set their sights on Freedomland, an old children's asylum that was shut down years ago. When they finally discover the truth, it is not quite the shocker that the trailer makes it out to be.
There's something about Julianne Moore and missing children-or perhaps there's something about Hollywood and missing children. Again, Moore plays a mother who has lost her child, and all is not what it seems. This time, her character, Brenda, is a single parent who's had a tough life, and her son, Cody, is her only validation in the eyes of her family. Brenda works with children in the projects and, before the lockdown, was well-liked by the residents. She is a bit slow on the uptake and is obviously not well-educated, even though she does have street smarts. Moore plays Brenda straight, even though one can see flashes of Moore's own intelligence behind Brenda's eyes. It also seems like there are times Moore overacts Brenda's plight.
Jackson is ever the excellent gruff, cynical tough guy - hard on the outside, soft on the inside. He is given the few comedic moments in the film, even though his character seems to be in the most difficult position. He is torn between his ties to the projects and his commitment to his job. It is a difficult line to walk, and Council doesn't always do it successfully.
The locations in the film only seem to be plot devices. Big, revealing scenes happen in places that are incredibly random and seem to have very little to do with the plot. For example, so the viewers can see the increasing anxiety in the projects, Council brings Brenda back to the projects, near the scene of the crime, only to leave quickly. Later, when Brenda has a breakdown, it happens in a random room in the projects, overlooking the scene of the crime, supposedly trying to find new clues. But she and Council never even bother to look out the window. Again, they just leave.
The actual asylum of Freedomland is the same way (maybe the title is symbolic). The only real mention of the place comes only at the end, right before the big reveal.
So, in the end, there's no thriller, just a kind of "Law and Order" plot, and no big connection to crazy children - just an abandoned old building. The payoff is just an unsatisfying reveal after a movie full of manufactured racial tension.
