A Dominican to The Tambora

Is Sound of Freedom, a culture defining, genre bending action-thriller in the vein of Se7en or Heat, not quite, but what it strives to do--- reveal to viewers the grotesque inhumanity of child sex trafficking and raise awareness (and perhaps spur action towards combating) of the dreadful issue, it does so effectively with subdued, realistic performances, and a murky cinematic palette that bestows each scene with an ominous, desperation-fueled vibe. The film does a convincing job of showcasing the seediest underbelly of our society, a trade plied in homes, on the streets, in schools, within the ranks of both the lowest and highest rungs of citizenry. It is a crime of sheer depravity and the fastest growing crime network in the modern world. Sound of Freedom is directed with commendable restraint by Alejandro Monteverde--- he doesn't rely on flashy action scenes or meat-headed bravado to portray Ballard's heroics or heighten the extreme emotional stakes. The film reaching theaters is a miracle within itself, created in 2018 and shelved once Disney acquired its studio, 20th Century Fox, in 2019. Acquired by Christian backed Angel Studios in 2023, it somehow arrived five years later to garner a provocative mix of fervent praise for its powerful message, widespread criticism as to the veracity of Ballard's exploits, and public curiosity regarding a film that is now the highest grossing independent movie since theaters reopened in 2021. The film wastes no time showing viewers the stomach-turning simplicity and ubiquity of these crimes. The opening credits are interspersed with surveillance footage of actual child abductions, a disheartening reminder of how quickly these crimes can occur, even in the public under watchful eyes. A single father living in Honduras is convinced by a local beauty queen, Katy-Gisselle (Yessica Borroto Perryman), to allow his two children, 11-year-old Rocio (Cristal Aparicio) and her younger brother, 7-year-old Miguel (Lucás Èvila) to audition for a local musical competition show. He arrives at a dingy, dimly lit motel room and is told at the door that parents are not permitted to view the talent and to return when the audition concludes. He returns to discover the purported studio empty and abandoned, and his children abducted, a gut-wrenching realization for any parent. Based loosely on events in the life of Tim Ballard (played by a steely eyed and contemplative Jim Caviezel), a former agent with the Department of Homeland Security who has helped capture over 300 pedophiles and left the organization amid grievances with the lack of efforts employed to rescue kidnapped and trafficked children in underdeveloped nations to found Operation Underground Railroad, a non-profit, anti- sex trafficking organization, in 2013. Following the horrifying opener, the film tracks Ballard's investigation and arrest of a stateside pedophile responsible for uploading millions of images of child pornography to buyers from across the globe. He cozies up to the captured pedophile, intimating that he harbors similar proclivities and learns of a trafficking ring in Mexico. He manages to dismantle the operation at the border, nab the trafficker, and save the boy from the opening scene, but is haunted by his failure to find the sister and free her from cruel clutches of her captors. His globe-trotting mission eventually takes him to the lush, foreboding jungles of Colombia where child trafficking is enmeshed with the narcotics trade. Given a week and $10,000 by his boss, he teams up with former miscreant, Vampiro (character actor extraordinaire Bill Camp in fine form, sleaziness personified), to concoct an elaborate sting operation that enables him to rescue the child he's looking for and free countless others from a wretched existence. The film doesn't delve too deeply into the family dynamics of the Ballard family or emotional trauma caused by their profession, but watching a pained exchange between Ballard and his fellow agent discuss the one-sided nature of their job, the atrocity of these crimes, and the photo/video evidence the forever stamps itself in their minds--- speaks volumes to anyone who didn't realize the dismal toll it takes on the people tasked with catching the soulless predators facilitating this taboo industry. Politics notwithstanding--- and politics have contributed immensely to Sound of Freedom's blockbuster box office numbers (beating out the latest Indiana Jones movie in opening sales). Since being adopted by the right as a conservative thriller, the film has become somewhat of a rallying cry for Q-Anon enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists. Sound of Freedom operates on a simple premise--- child trafficking is a universal scourge that has infiltrated every level of society and as a good-hearted, God- fearing populace, we have a critical responsibility to care about their horrific plights and take action to end this inhumane practice. Sound of Freedom is an impassioned and capable if formulaic summer success that tugs at our instinctual drive to protect children. While it doesn't excel or innovate in the narrative department, captivate viewers with grounded and relatable characters, or elevate its sordid themes beyond conveying Christian conviction (3Gods children are not for sale ́ and 3When God tells you what to do, you cannot hesitate ́) and exposing the abject awfulness of the content, the crosshair focus on subject matter must be applauded. It's rare that an issue so insidious and dehumanizing is presented through the medium of an earnest action thriller. With an arresting and unshakable missive, Sound of Freedom may do more than shine a light on the darkest aspects of human behavior and perhaps, inspire us to join the fight to eliminate child trafficking.