Sound of Freedom

• Directed and Co-Written by Alejandro Monteverde
• July 4, 2023

A former U.S. government agent begins a quest to rescue children from sex traffickers in Colombia.

There is just no good way to discuss Sound of Freedom. I’ve never seen anything like the reactions this movie can generate. Calling this film polarizing or controversial would be perhaps one of the greatest understatements in human history. Some have made discussing this movie very personal. People bring up both Jim Caviezel and Tim Ballard. There are plenty of weirdos or bad people (or those accused of being bad) making films and shows still out there. If you cut out entertainment containing either/both types of individuals you might be hard-pressed to find anything.

Another thing people voice against this is that the story presented is not accurate for any number of reasons. That feels like a failure to understand this is a dramatic presentation and not a documentary. Filmmakers are not above adding fiction into true stories in either mainstream Hollywood or independent projects. They do so for any number of reasons.

I’m not here to discuss how accurate Sound of Freedom is or those people portrayed within. I care about the presentation. As always use this as a starting point to learn more about what happened. Don’t take what you see as 100% accurate. The people making this movie had a point of view they wanted to put forward and a clear picture of what really happened or happens can only be done by going to multiple sources that are not presented solely by actors.

I have heard this called a religious film, but aside from one or two instances of characters either making a mention of God or saying they felt the guidance of God religion is not a big part of the story. It’s just an aspect of the characters. Maybe this is noticeable to those who never engaged in a discussion of their religious views or have never been in anyway exposed to one. But I’m getting off track. 

The story is as much about human trafficking as it is about people trying to regain something that they lost along the way. For his part Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel) is trying to reclaim a piece of himself that was lost by his work stopping pedophiles but never saving the children they victimized. One evening he is forced to confront his feelings on that by his fellow agent Chris (Scott Haze) who is burnt out and wanting to move on.

As an agent of Homeland Security, Ballard can arrest sicko after sicko but can never put away the people who provide the ‘chickens’ or the ‘models’. The predominately white and American customer base can be easily arrested but those who operate beyond US borders are untouchable to the law he represents.

In the main story Ballard is search for a young girl named Rocío (Cristal Aparicio) whom he was not able to save at the start of the movie. She is the representation of his children and with that in mind he cannot rest until he gets her back. And because of that he finds his true purpose in life.

The character of Vampiro (Bill Camp) who Tim allies with is trying to make amends for that one girl that showed him just how terrible of a human being he was as well as all others like her. Camp performs tells the story of Vampiro’s change with such emotion and authenticity.

Sound of Freedom is far from an uplifting film. It is exceedingly downbeat but then again child sex trafficking is not a happy topic. Even the moments of victory are muted by the realization that the threat is not over since as a nod to reality one sting does not take out the whole issue. Director/co-writer Alejandro Monteverde never shies away from the terrible nature of the world this occurs in. You get a sense of hopelessness and despair and given the implications of certain scenes your skin will even crawl.

Tim and Vampiro concoct a plan to gather together as many kids in one place as possible as well as their traffickers by creating a phony resort that will serve as a sex club for individuals seeking to abuse children. It is a bold plan and one that mostly works but fails to recover the missing Rocío who was purchased by FARC rebels. Ballard then does take a bit of a stealth mission to finally get her in a scene designed to give this an exciting climax rather than one with emotional punch.

Monteverde really should have ended things on the island rather than trying to go the action hero route. It is a cliché downturn in an otherwise strong movie. Sometimes a quiet closing is better than anything else. Filmmakers too often make that mistake.

I’m not saying you should believe Sound of Freedom as 100% fact but rather if the narrative doesn’t create an emotional reaction, then I think there’s something dead inside of you. There are moments of horror and disgust. It is emotionally brutal. And that’s what dramatic presentations are supposed to do even those supposedly based on fact. They’re supposed to get a reaction out of you. Connect with you.

By the end of the story the characters come out changed. These are humans who go through highs and lows and struggles before they eventually triumph. In a broad sense that’s something we can identify with. Struggle. Tim stumbles and learns. Ultimately he has learned something and found his place in the world as well as what he is meant to do. This is a good and engaging story without a massive budget.

The cinematography is nothing too special. Not incompetent but there is nothing that visually puts the present world in a positive light. Then again making a pretty movie involving a disgusting topic would be very weird. The film ends with a montage which contains some footage from the actual island raid as well as text concerning what occurred after the movie ended and noting that the United States is one of the top destinations for trafficked children.

Sound of Freedom is a good movie, but it is not a movie that will leave you feeling good. It will take a heavy toll on you emotionally but it is so very worth watching. I cannot recommend this one enough!