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| Free Ride | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Shana Betz |
| Written by | Shana Betz |
| Produced by | Susan Dynner Cerise Hallam Larkin Anna Paquin Stephen Moyer (executive) Wendy Williams |
| Starring | Anna Paquin Drea de Matteo Cam Gigandet Liana Liberato |
| Cinematography | Quyen Tran |
| Edited by | Danny Daneau |
| Music by | Jeff Russo |
Production companies | Aberration Films Casm Films Pantry Films |
| Distributed by | Phase 4 Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Free Ride is a 2013 Americancrimedrama film directed and written by Shana Betz, based on her childhood experiences growing up inFort Lauderdale, Florida. The film starsAnna Paquin (who also served as producer), alongsideDrea de Matteo,Liana Liberato, andCam Gigandet in supporting roles.
The plot follows Christina (Paquin), a single mother who becomes involved in drug smuggling to provide for her two daughters in the late 1970s.
Free Ride premiered at theHamptons International Film Festival on October 11, 2013, and also opened the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival on October 18.[2] The film later received a limited theatrical release on January 10, 2014.
Christina, a single mother fromOhio, escapes an abusive relationship with her two daughters, teenager MJ and seven-year-old Shell, in the late 1970s. The family relocates to theFlorida coast, where Christina reconnects with a friend who introduces her to a job indrug smuggling. While she navigates the dangerous world of illicit trade to provide for her family, Christina must also manage her increasingly defiant older daughter and protect her children from the growing dangers surrounding them.[3]
Free Ride was filmed across several locations inSarasota County, Florida, including the cities ofVenice andEnglewood.[5]
Free Ride premiered at the 2013Hamptons International Film Festival on October 11, 2013.[2] It later opened the 28th Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLiFF) on October 18, 2013.[6] Following these festival showings, the film received a limited theatrical release on January 10, 2014.[7]
On thereview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,Free Ride holds a 14% approval rating based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 3.9/10.[1] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 41 out of 100, based on 9 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[8]
John DeFore ofThe Hollywood Reporter described the film as "[a] loving portrait of a mother many would say deserves a much more critical eye."[9] Meanwhile,Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times praised the film's authenticity and tone, comparing it to "the easygoing world ofJimmy Buffett songs," while noting its unsettling depiction of a world with no promise of a future.[10]
Diego Costa ofSlant Magazine rated it 2 stars out of 4, acknowledging Paquin's strong performance but critiquing the narrative's lack of commitment to either melodrama or suspense.[11] Similarly, Elizabeth Weitzman of theNew York Daily News gave it 2 stars out of 4, stating that the film failed to capitalize on its inherent tension, with "slack" direction and a "miscast" Paquin.[12]
Shana Betz's work in the film earned her the inaugural Tangerine Entertainment Juice Award (honoring an outstanding female filmmaker) at the 2013Hamptons International Film Festival.[13][14]
