The Free World
Description
A recently released felon becomes embroiled with an abused woman in this hard-hitting dramatic thriller set in Louisiana. After serving his time, the taciturn Mo Lundy (Boyd Holbrook) just wants to keep a low profile—put in his hours at the local animal shelter and head home to his small apartment. But when a woman named Doris (Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss, showing off a different side of her talent) shows up at Mo’s workplace with a bloodied dog and her bruiser cop boyfriend, Mo’s hopes for a quiet life come unraveled. A short time after the incident with the dog, Doris returns to the shelter—and this time she’s the bloody one. Without speaking about what has happened, Mo brings her home, and the two begin a careful dance of wounded souls trying to reach a place of trust and understanding. With two protagonists not given much to talking, The Free World conveys volumes with silence and body language, and both Moss and Holbrook compel attention with their haunted and haunting performances. Octavia Spencer is moving and wry as the owner/manager of the shelter who gives the ex-con employment and a sympathetic shoulder. Though matters eventually get complicated for Mo and Doris in the film’s nail-biting climax, their attempts to build a new life for themselves in a world that may not be as free as people like to think make for a memorable film-watching experience. —Rod Armstrong
Jason Lew was raised in a small town in Maine and established himself in New York’s theater scene before moving to Los Angeles. His first screenplay, Restless (2011), was directed by Gus Van Sant. The Free World is his directorial debut and explores some of his personal obsessions, including identity, violence and the bonds that tie people together.
Trailer
//player.vimeo.com/video/162884968?autoplay=1Film Details
Language English
Year 2015
Runtime 100
Country USA
Director Jason Lew
Producer Laura Rister
Writer Jason Lew
Editor Dominic LaPerriere
Cinematographer Berenice Eveno
Music Tim Hecker
Cast Boyd Holbrook, Elisabeth Moss, Octavia Spencer
Print Source IFC Films