Movie Review: The Sound of Freedom
A heavy story told with a light touch that strikes the viewer in the solar plexus.
Sound of Freedom, directed by Alejandro Monteverde, is based on the true story of Tim Ballard. While it has been called controversial (examples here and here) the controversy has largely been manufactured. Ballard and leading man, Jim Caviezel, address a few claims on the Jordan B. Peterson Podcast (episodes 371/372). A YouTuber who goes by Shoe0nHead debunked the alleged QAnon ties with surprising competency.
According to his own account, the real-life Ballard worked for the Department of Homeland Security arresting pedophiles and child pornographers. In 2006, the laws changed such that Ballard could enter foreign nations to arrest American predators. However, there had to be an American connection otherwise the operation would be aborted. After two such abortions, Ballard quits Homeland Security to continue rescuing trafficked children independently.
The movie follows those same events, albeit embellished and partially fictionalized. Most notably, the final sequence in which Ballard infiltrates a militant guerilla organization to rescue a girl never happened. This has been a major criticism of the film. But it matters little; all movies are works of fiction, even those inspired by true events. Moreover, Hollywood has a long history of straying from historical facts (e.g. Amadeus). Sound of Freedom ran into trouble - in my opinion - when producer Eduardo Verastegui claimed, “it’s a movement.” Once such a proclamation is declared every embellishment will be interpreted as a deliberate lie meant to push the film’s agenda.
Putting aside allegations made by the truth assassins at Rolling Stone, Slate, and Vice, Sound of Freedom is an excellent movie. Monteverde and his co-writer, Rod Barr, tell a heavy story with a light touch that nevertheless strikes the viewer in the solar plexus.
To illustrate what I mean, consider the rape of Rocio (Cristal Aparicio). The girl sits on the bed, crying. A drunk American stumbles into the room. There is no dialogue. Exterior shot of the apartment window. The man closes the shade. There is no sound, no music as the image lingers … and lingers just long enough for the audience to become uncomfortable. Cut to Rocio soaking in a bathtub. She wanted to be a singer. Her voice is beautiful. From the tub she sings her favorite song through the choking tears.
The cinematography is amazing, and the judicial use of silence is genius. Caviezel brings it as Tim Ballard. Because the images he sees we can't, a lot rides on his teary, often bloodshot eyes. Bill Camp as Vamprio brings much needed levity to the otherwise disturbing movie.
There are problems. The use of Caviezel’s eyes becomes repetitive by the end. There are a few lines of campy dialogue, particularly Vampiro’s “Do you hear that? That’s the sound of freedom.” And a “special message” during the credits was a tad off putting.
The movie is not political. It’s barely Christian. There is one conspicuous bible quote recited by Ballard, but let’s not confuse a Christian character for a Christian film.
As for Verastegui’s “movement,” certainly there is an agenda here: children like Rocio are raped every day, so let’s shine a light on it. While heavy handed at times, I never felt preached to - the “special message” excepted.
A filmmaker's job is to first make a great film. All other considerations are secondary. To that point, Monteverde and his team made a great film while getting a message across. Good for them.
Now, go see Sound of Freedom.