Since Ellen Page stunned us with her diabolical smarts in “Hard Candy” and her straightforward drollness in “Juno,” we haven't gotten to see the Oscar-nominated actress in many movies that live up to her compelling charms. Remember “Smart People” with Sarah Jessica Parker? No? Do you ever think about her exposition-spewing character Ariadne in “Inception”? What about the time Woody Allen wasted her (and Judy Davis!) in “To Rome with Love”? Enough is enough.
A new trailer just debuted for “Freeheld,” a drama about a real-life woman named Laurel Hester (played here by Julianne Moore) who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and fought to ensure that her pension benefits would be passed along to her partner Stacie (Page). The trailer is gripping; watch it at Buzzfeed. (We'll add it here when an embeddable version is released.)
Last year when Page came out as a lesbian at a Human Rights Campaign event, she revealed another startling truth about herself — that the apparent intelligence she conveyed in “Juno” was no put-on. It's not just refreshing to see Page tackle a role that demands vulnerability and depth; it's a relief. Here's hoping “Freeheld” gives her a chance to remind us that her low-key, sage energy should be a bigger force in movies.