The film ‘Sound of Freedom’, based on a true-life story, was produced in 2018 but was only released this year.
After a successful run-in theaters in the United States, ‘Sound of Freedom’ was released in theaters in Ecuador and Latin America.
What is it about?
The film tells the story of Tim Balland, a United States federal agent, who leaves his job to dedicate himself to rescuing child victims of human trafficking.
Actors
Jim Caviezel, famous for playing Jesus in the film ‘The Passion of the Christ’ plays Tim Balland, the agent who gives up his life to help minors.
“I am very proud to be a part of this powerful film. It is the second most important film I have made after ‘The Passion of the Christ’, he declared in a press release.
Mira Sorvino, winner of an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her secondary role in ‘Mighty Aphrodite’ (1995), also acts in the film.
The film is directed by the Mexican Alejandro Monteverde. ‘Sonido de libertad’, as it is called in Spanish, was shot in 2018 with funds from Mexican investors.
The production
Among these, Eduardo Verasteguí stands out, a Mexican artist known for being part of the Kairo group and for his performances in soap operas.
Verasteguí was in Quito on August 9 to promote the film. He had planned to give a press conference, together with President Guillermo Lasso, at the premiere of the film, but he was evacuated from the place after the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio, a former candidate for the Presidency of Ecuador.
Tim Ballard, the former agent who inspires ‘Sound of Freedom’, also attended the premiere and stayed until the screening ended.
Success in the United States
‘Sound of Freedom’ grossed $85.5 million in North American theaters in two weeks since its release, becoming the surprise hit of the summer, beating out big hits like ‘Indiana Jones and the Call of Fate’.
As of the end of August, it has raised more than USD 182 million.
In the United States, conservatives have praised the film for targeting a working class they say has been snubbed by Hollywood elites.
Liberals instead see it as a recruiting tool for the far-right, which promotes the QAnon conspiracy theory of a Hollywood pedophile cult and the Democratic Party, which allegedly kidnaps children.
Criticism of ‘Sound of Freedom’
In renowned outlets such as Variety, The New York Times and The Guardian, the reviews were mostly negative, calling the film “QAnon-like” or simply “boring”.
“To know that thousands of adults will take in ‘Sound of Freedom,’ this vigilante fever dream, and come away thinking they are better informed about a crisis of occult civilization… well, it’s deeply depressing,” Rolling Stone magazine said.
“What’s almost as interesting as the movie is the reaction it seems to provoke in the media who seem intent on shooting it down,” screenwriter Will Jordan said in a review on ‘The Critical Drinker’, his YouTube channel.
“It’s a film that reminds us that while there are a lot of bad people in this world doing the worst things imaginable, there are also good men fighting to bring them to justice,” he said.