Sound of Freedom Movie Review (2023) — This was a tough review for me

Sound of Freedom starring Jim Caviezel is out, and I’m feeling a bit conflicted about all of the politics and marketing around the film when it is the actual story within the film that matters. Raising awareness is wonderful, but not at the expense of people or the very children who this film is supposed to help.

This is as much a personal essay as it is a movie review. If that makes you uncomfortable, it’s okay to click away. You can read the review below or watch it on YouTube here:

As a survivor of assault, both as a child and as a teen, I am keenly sensitive to stories that touch on this topic. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see this the film, but I felt like I needed to see it. When I saw Jeremy Jahns posted a review, I decided to watch it as my way of dipping a toe into the topic. He does a great job with the review and stuck to the ins and outs of the film. In fact, I recommend that review as a follow up to this one. You can watch his review here.

I was relieved that the film did a good job of sparing the on-camera visuals of children being abused, but you still get a really good sense of what is happening by the looks on the actors’ faces. I think that’s actually where the power of the story resides, in those off camera moments that inspire the reflection of pain in the faces of the people inflicting the pain, helplessly watching the pain, and experiencing the pain.

This is a true story of Tim Ballard who worked for the government, tracking down and arresting pedophiles only to realize that taking down these guys isn’t the same as saving the children. Watching that kind of stuff changes you, and maybe even breaks you a little inside. This is his story of how he saved hundreds of children (and maybe himself?) in the pursuit of saving Rocio, the sister of Miguel — the first boy he actively rescued.

I like Jim Caviezel as an actor, and he did a great job in this film. He brought care and emotion to the screen, and he understands how to make action scenes exciting. As much as the marketing of the film tries to make the film about the children, the script still follows the path of Tim Ballard, casting him as the action hero in the film. He has been pushed to the breaking point by the work he does and needs to make a bigger difference to repair the bits of him that are fracturing inside. So, he makes the decision to sacrifice everything and to do something to help these kids. Again, Caviezel does a great job with this role. It feels honest and real. I believe he really cares about his work, the message of the film and making a positive impact on the lives of these children.

I think it’s also important to note that not every abused child is part of a sex trafficking ring. Not every child has someone to rescue them. Some of us have to rescue ourselves through the shear act of just living through the experience and finding ways to stay alive afterward. I feel like this message is getting lost in the political back biting surrounding this film, which is turning the film political. And that isn’t going to help the kids.

All of that media snark and hype destroys the underlying message of the film that children are out there, being abducted, and sold into slavery. That has to stop. Sexual abuse of children has to stop. The bickering about politics around child abuse and sex trafficking has to stop. The only people who win from all of this bickering and snark are the pedophiles because it keeps the rest of us from banding together to actually solve the problem. This isn’t a political issue. This is a human issue, and nobody should be using rape and abuse of any kind to further their political beliefs.

Still, this film does a good job of raising awareness of child abduction and child sex trafficking. It does a phenomenal job of raising money through donations and ticket sales to raise awareness. However, Angel Studios is a for-profit studio. All of the money raised goes to Angel Studios.

What I never quite understood from the film (and since this is a true story, I think this point should be addressed somewhere) is how are they turning awareness into action to help these children? Yes, they are raising money to increase awareness, but raising money isn’t action. Anyone who has been on the other side of someone else looking away from their pain and suffering knows that awareness and action are two very different things. So, what are the next steps that Angel Studios and the filmmakers are taking to help these kids other than raising more money for the studio to make more stories?

I would have liked to have Jim Caviezel’s message do more than just seek to raise awareness and money for the studio to make free tickets available. The way it works is all of the donations received go to Angel Studios for them to choose how to spend that money. They are giving out free tickets, but my guess is that there is a lot more money coming in than tickets being requested. So, will that extra money go to helping the children or to producing other shows, which would also be free to viewers. I’m not sure that counts as raising awareness or helping the types of victims portrayed in the film.

I would have liked that message to also include a list of resources that victims can turn to, organizations that people with information can contact, and funds that are set up to help rehabilitate rescued children because removing them from the hands of their abuser is only part of the work. I think it would also be great if Angel Studios were to put this information on their website as well.

Angel Studios is raising gobs of money from donations and ticket sales. You don’t beat out Indiana Jones and not rake in vast amounts of profit. I might have missed them, but I don’t see any statements from Angel Studios about how this money is being used. It’s possible that they just haven’t got that far in the process, and I hope that they come up with a plan soon and push that out to social media for people to see where all of this profit is going.

And, as a final point, in Caviezel’s closing message he mentions that this isn’t his story or Tim Ballard’s story. This is Miguel’s and Rocia’s story, and I think he is right. Tim Ballard might be the main character, but it’s the children’s story of abduction, abuse, and rescue. With all of the money being made on this film (an Indiana Jones level of profit), I hope that Angel Studios is sending Miguel and Rocia a good portion of that money because this movie would not exist if not for their experiences.

I hope you do go see the movie because it is a powerful story, and it’s important to look into the shadows of our society and to shine a light into that darkness. Thank you for listening. Here are some resources that may be helpful.