‘Freeheld’ Starring Julianne Moore Set in Ocean County [VIDEO]

Detective Lt. Laurel Hester was a criminal investigator with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office for 23 years when she was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer at the age of 49 in October 2005. It was then that Hester, and her registered domestic partner, Stacie Andree, both battled to secure Hester's pension benefits for after she passes. This story is the subject of the movie "Freeheld" due out in October.

Freeheld is based on the 2007 Oscar-winning documentary short film of the same name. Screenwriter Ron Nyswaner, who was nominated for an Academy Award for the 1993 movie Philadelphia, wrote the script.

Julianne Moore plays Hester, Ellen Paige takes on the role of her domestic partner Stacie Andree and Steve Carell plays Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality.

It is interesting to note that the names and ages of the five, all-Republican freeholders have been changed in the film. The APP suggests that bits of dialogue heard in the trailer would suggest that "Freeholder Pat Gerrity" is supposed to be Freeholder Joseph H. Vicari and "Freeholder William Johnson" is Freeholder Jack Kelly.

Although most of the story takes place in Toms River and Point Pleasant, the movie was shot in New York.