Sound of Freedom is a 2023 American action film which holds the famous quote, “Gods children are not for sale.” It is directed by Alejandro Monteverde, and stars Jim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino and Bill Camp. Caviezel plays Tim Ballard, a former U.S. government agent who embarks on a mission to rescue children from sex trafficking in Columbia. It is produced by Eduardo Verastegui, who also plays a role in the film. The plot centers around Ballard’s Operation Underground Railroad, an anti-sex trafficking organization.
The film was released into theaters on July 4, 2023, by Angel Studios. It was a hit, becoming one of the most successful independent films in history. It has grossed $190 million against a $14.5 million budget. It received mixed reviews from critics, while audience reception has been highly positive.
The movie itself is about a young boy who was rescued from ruthless child traffickers, and a federal agent learns the boy’s sister is still being held captive and goes to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Columbian jungle, putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death.
Even though this movie was a big hit, especially to the audience, there was a lot of criticism to Sound of Freedom. “What is the idea and the Ideology behind putting this on a military installation? Is this some form of indoctrinism into an ideology of extremism?” Sunnetta Slaughter, a human trafficking and exploitation consultant said. The movie has also been criticized by anti-trafficking experts saying, “The movie provided a ‘false perception’ of child trafficking and promoting ‘rescue’ tactics that may actually put real victims in danger.”
But still through mixed reviews, the people on TikTok loved this movie. On many different TikTok videos, the movie became so popular, and even more people were posting TikTok videos of how movie theaters playing Sound of Freedom had purposely turned off air conditioning, or even had ‘internet issues’ causing the movie to be canceled which infuriated many watchers. It is unknown why or how they did this, but they didn’t want people watching this movie.
The movie was made to spread awareness about sex-trafficking, and how it is a big part in our nation, and that more people still need to know about it. And to also give a closer look at what is happening even today, and yet still unknowingly.
