Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Freedom Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 1, 2021

In 1981’s “Freedom,” screenwriter Barbara Turner gifts herself an opportunity to rework the struggles of her life. The picture is based on her daughter’s experiences as a wayward youth, trying to make sense of everything while maintaining distance from her mother’s presence. Part of this hard-fought maturity involves employment at a traveling carnival, where the teenager was surrounded by other outcasts who understood her, but Turner represents herself as the parent who can’t quite get past her child’s defenses, watching her figure things out on her own. “Freedom” is very much a traditional television movie, dealing with intimate matters of heart and home, and Turner writes with passion, endeavoring to dial back the clock and manage her daughter’s frustrations and denials with a bit more grace.

Libby (Mare Winningham) is a young teenager who can’t live with her mother, Rachel (Jennifer Warren), looking for any chance to escape her company, despite having love for her parent. Finally emancipated, Libby goes hunting for adulthood, coming across a community that travels with a carnival, finding romance with Bill (Peter Horton). Rachel tries to move on and trust her child’s decision, but Libby is never truly far from home, working on a way to communicate with her parent as she develops into an independent woman.

“Freedom” is a drama, largely examining the tentative bitterness shared between Libby and Rachel, who don’t know how to speak to each other. It’s created a great divide between the family members, and Turner explores life after conflict, tracking Libby’s experiences in the wild, working on her love of music while finding romance and a different kind of family at the carnival. Rachel isn’t forgotten, handling her own issues of liberation as a concerned parent who no longer has the energy to micromanage her troubled child. “Freedom” credits Carrie Morrow for her life story, and the feature feels very autobiographical at times, especially with Libby and her childlike, defensive claims of guilt, seeking approval from her mom in a strikingly authentic manner.

Freedom Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.33:1 or 1.85:1 aspect ratios) presentation examines living spaces and carnival life, with the latter delivering brighter primaries on signs and other decorative additions. Skintones are natural. Detail comes through on carnival tours, offering a textured look at industry particulars, including rides and games. Interior design is distinct, exploring different homes and tight offices and apartments. Exteriors are dimensional. Grain is heavy but film-like. Delineation is satisfactory. Source is in good condition, with some speckling encountered.

Freedom Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix is a bit uneven, with volume taking a slight dip at the 56:18 mark. Intelligibility isn't threatened, with dialogue exchanges acceptable, securing emotional movements and group activity with the carnies. Soundtrack selections are mostly defined and louder, offering a more dominating dramatic position with crisp instrumentation. Carnival atmospherics are appreciable.

Freedom Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features television historian Amanda Reyes.

• "Barbara and Carrie Remembered" (27:08, HD) is a video conference interview with Andrea Adams, the daughter of "Freedom" subject Carrie Morrow and granddaughter of writer Barbara Turner. Adams looks at the film as a family document, capturing the carnival life and relationship specifics with alarming accuracy. The interviewee shares her memories of Turner, who was actively involved in the production of "Freedom" (and later, 1995's "Georgia"), and reinforces the realism of carny life in the picture, which features numerous autobiographical details. Relationships are examined, including Bill Mapel, who was also credited as a technical advisor, and Adams shares her understanding of the carny community, with her mother becoming part of the gang, which became something of a family.

Freedom Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Freedom" isn't gritty. Turner keeps things softer to reach a television audience, including a fantasy conclusion that's meant to land the endeavor comfortably, allowing her to revisit events from her own life, making things right this time. It's not the most honest approach, but it works on a dramatic level, with Winningham and Warren capably filling the production with brewing emotions and a satisfying sense of character, helping Turner reach her creative goals with the movie.