Starring - Mare Winningham (Torchwood, Six Feet Under), Jennifer Warren (Slap Shot, Mutant), and Peter Horton (Children of the Corn, Children of the Dark)
Release Date - 1981
Genre - Drama
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)
Rating (out of 5):
Earlier last year, If I'm remembering correctly, Vinegar Syndrome announced the partnership with a new label. The label, Fun City Editions, started with a bang and since then has released some seriously underrated and almost forgotten films ranging the romantic drama Jeremy about underage love, to an early 80s gangster film, and even a western comedy starring Jeff Bridges. They may not focus on the genre that brings all of us together but they are still a label that I look forward to. When Vin Syn announced the release of FCE's Primetime Panic I was fucking hooked. Sometime back Vin Syn announced a made for television box set and it was one hell of a good time so I couldn't wait to see what FCE had in store for us. As soon as I could pre-order it I did and decided that now was the best time to check it out. The first film in the set in the 1981 drama Freedom starring Mare Winningham and Peter Horton.
The film follows the teenaged Libby (Winningham) who resents her wealthy upbringing. She wants to explore life while her parents, long since divorced, struggle with how to raise her. Her mother, who is about to remarry, wants her to remain in her home and be a model daughter and teenager while her father has nothing to do with her until she is in trouble wants her to live life as he did during his teenage years. Eventually, she is emancipated and hits the road before joining a traveling carnival. Life seems fine for a short time but she soon learns that free love is not for her and begins to regret leaving her mother and little sister.
Freedom is the kind of film I would have never went out of my way to see. That's why I'm really digging these Vinegar Syndrome partner labels so much. They are bringing films that I would normally skip over to my attention and I'm really digging these non-horror titles. I had a lot of fun with Freedom and I think that many of you horror fans would like it as well. The acting in this one is great. Winningham was brilliant in the film and carried the entire production on her shoulders. That doesn't mean the supporting cast wasn't great, because they are, but Winningham is the star of the show and for good reason. I also enjoyed seeing Horton in a non-genre flick. I grew up on Children of the Corn but Horton appeared in several made for television movies in the 80s and 90s that I enjoyed growing up. The story for this one is a coming of age tale from the standpoint of a young and privileged girl who is often rebellious and ungrateful before going out into the world to learn some life lessons. The romantic drama, broken family, and life on the road aspects delivers a lot of character development and works very well. I found myself fully invested in the story and enjoyed it thoroughly. Finally, the film doesn't have any blood or gore which should be obvious at this point. It has awesome locations that fit the story and focuses more on character and story progression over effects. Overall, Freedom was a very enjoyable experience and one that would have slipped under my radar had Vin Syn's partner label Fun City Editions had not released it. I loved this release and this is a great addition to the Primetime Panic set.
No comments:
Post a Comment