Federal agent Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel) ensnares paedophiles for a living but finds his life changed when he rescues young boy Miguel (Lucás Ávila) who was taken from his father and forced into child sex-trafficking along with his sister Rocío (Cristal Aparicio). No longer content with convicting paedophiles and taking them off the street, Tim promises Miguel that he will track down Rocío and return her to her family. In order to do so, Tim quits his jobs and heads off to Colombia on a dangerous mission.
‘Sound of Freedom’ is based on the true story of Tim Ballard, a man who founded a non-profit organisation called Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) that has claimed to have rescued thousands of people from sex trafficking. The film’s release has been shrouded in controversy due to a number of accusations against the real-life Ballard and it has been criticised for delivering a highly-fictionalised account of Ballard’s work. It’s also been dismissed as pandering to the right-wing in the US, despite the fact that the film has taken an impressive $250 million at the box office.
Regardless of how much of the film is based on actual events, ‘Sound of Freedom’ is still a hard-hitting and difficult watch that highlights the alarming child sex-trafficking trade that occurs around the world. Director Alejandro Monteverde doesn’t shy away from the horrific realities of what life is like for children who are forced into this illegal industry. In the film’s opening moments we see a father convinced that his children could become stars and make lots of money, only for him to realise he’s fallen victim to a child sex-trafficking scam with his children taken away from him.
When Tim locates Miguel, the youngest of the two children, he has a difficult conversation with him as he tries to find out what has happened to him. It was at this point I wasn’t sure if I could continue on with the film. It made me queasy, uncomfortable and very tearful, but I pressed on to see it through to its climax. The first hour is dark and gruelling, with nothing in the way of levity. We see glimpses of these stolen children and the ordeals they are forced to go through, and it’s utterly heart-breaking.
In the second hour, when Tim decides to head to Colombia and create a trap to find Rocío, the film shifts gears into an almost revenge-like thriller. Tim heads off into a part of the Colombian jungle where he believes the girl may be, with no hesitation that he could lose his own life in the process. It’s important to point out that the real Ballard didn’t actually do this but for the purposes of the film, it creates an intense sequence of events.
Jim Caviezel is outstanding as Tim. He’s the actor with the most screentime and his emotional performance is the heart of the film. Tackling very difficult subject matter, he makes Tim a character that the audience roots for and his ability to bring the character’s emotional struggle to the fore is commendable. As an actor who often plays challenging roles, he was the perfect choice for this dark but necessary film. Bill Camp as Tim’s sting partner Vampiro is very good too, and he works well with Caviezel as they form a believable partnership.
Whether or not the events depicted in ‘Sound of Freedom’ happened or not, that doesn’t change the fact that child sex-trafficking takes place. This film shines a spotlight onto an industry that has a blind eye turned to it all too often, and it shows not only the effect it has on the children involved, but also those who are trying to put a stop to it. ‘Sound of Freedom’ will make your stomach-churn, and it should because child sex-trafficking is an abominable thing that shouldn’t be a reality. I doubt I will ever watch this film again but I think it’s a film everyone should see once in their lifetime.
Cast: Jim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino, Bill Camp, Cristal Aparicio, Lucás Ávila, Eduardo Verástegui, José Zúñiga Director: Alejandro Monteverde Writers: Rod Barr & Alejandro Monteverde Certificate: 15 Duration: 131 mins Released by: Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment Release date: 25th December 2023 Buy ‘Sound of Freedom’ now
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