Up until very recently, I hadn’t even heard of the “Sound of Freedom” movie. How I discovered its existence wasn’t by watching a trailer or seeing a poster for it at my nearby theater but rather by watching a conversation/interview between Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, Jim Caviezel (who stars in the film) and Tim Ballard on Dr. Peterson’s YouTube channel.
In the video, Dr. Peterson and Caviezel discuss the film in greater detail and how Caviezel plays the role of Tim Ballard, a former DHS, or Department of Homeland Security, special agent who quit his job to instead focus on saving kidnapped children from child trafficking and the sex trade.
After watching the entirety of the conversation among these three men, I decided to finally go and watch the movie myself with my mother. It was an emotional experience for both of us to say the least. Alejandro Gomez Monteverde’s “Sound of Freedom” is an exceptionally well-done film not only because it contains themes of child trafficking but also just how much time, care and consideration was put into the production.
What “Sound of Freedom” excels in the most is how much the film shows the horrific experiences that victims of child trafficking all over the world have. “Sound of Freedom” doesn’t go too far and become tasteless and a means to be a product of shock value nor does it completely hide the trauma and abuse these children face. The movie knows how to respect its audience.
Another highlight of the film is Jim Caviezel’s portrayal of Tim Ballard. You can tell that Caviezel really took the time to prepare for this role and how much he cared about being a part of “Sound of Freedom.” After the film ends and the credits begin to roll, a short two-minute video is shown of Caviezel giving a passionate message on the making of “Sound of Freedom” and child trafficking to whoever watched the film.
The amount of emotion seen in Caviezel’s eyes is profound and unforgettable. This is a man who just wants to spread awareness of sex trafficking and make sure that God’s children are not put up for sale by pedophiles. The message of the film is simple yet powerful and needed especially in today’s modern age.
This film doesn’t try to sugarcoat anything about trafficking. Its presentation on the matter is clear and gets straight to the point. One of the best scenes in the film is the opening in which we see a father and his young son and daughter at home approached by a woman named Katy Giselle (played by Yessica Borroto Perryman). Giselle explains to the father that she is a former beauty queen and would like to offer the father’s children modeling contracts.
The father accepts the offer and drops off his children for a photoshoot. Later that evening, when the father returns to pick them up he realizes that his kids are gone. Shoutout to the actor who plays the father. He does an amazing job convincing the audience that he’s a parent who just lost his offspring. It’s a terrifying feeling that no parent would want to feel ever. Sadly, many parents all over the world face this every day.
As someone who eventually wants to bring life into this world, movies like “Sound of Freedom” help me and others who also want to be future parents be aware of the horrifying reality that is when children are not always under your surveillance twenty-four seven. It is good to trust your children when they are out in the world, yes, but it is also crucial to make sure that they are safe from perverts and creeps.
“Sound of Freedom” was a pleasant surprise that I was fortunate to watch before it left theaters. My hope is that it continues to spread the message of child trafficking to others who did not know that it was a theatrical release. Maybe it will make its way to streaming services and people can watch it there. For whoever is reading this article who hasn’t seen “Sound of Freedom” please go and see it. It’s definitely an important film that needs to be louder for the rest of society to hear its meaning.
Rating: 3.5/5
