Nominated: The Laurel Hester Story

Among today’s Oscar nominees is Freeheld: The Laurel Hester Story, nominated for Best Short Documentary. Laurel Hester was the Ocean County, New Jersey cop who upon her diagnosis with terminal lung cancer in 2005, battled the authorities to have her police pension assigned to her partner after her death. After a long, ugly fight with county officials, Hester finally won her case. She died four weeks later. I haven’t seen the documentary yet, but if this trailer is any indication, I’ll need a case or two of Kleenex. Best wishes to the filmmakers.