HOLLYWOOD—I don’t like watching difficult cinema and when I say that I’m referring to something that pierces directly at the soul and haunts you in a way that other movies don’t. I had heard buzz about a flick starring Jim Caviezel and I had to check it out. I was not expecting the emotional rollercoaster that this film took me on. The opening sequence is so haunting, so gripping and so terrifying you cannot take your eyes off the screen. The scary thing is as a spectator you know what is unfolding, but it is still a gut-punch to watch it happen.
Why? It tackles a very difficult subject matter: child sex trafficking. It is something that happens daily in this country and all over the world and as a parent it is even scarier to watch it. Seeing a parent have the wool pulled over his eyes, seeing two kids, very young kids Rocio and Miguel being groomed by a former beauty queen, Giselle (Yessica Borroto), had my body consumed with rage. I was boiling with blood watching that opening sequence.
I have never felt as angry watching a film as I have with “Sound of Freedom,” but I think that is directly what the filmmakers wanted. They wanted the audience to be taken on this emotional rollercoaster, one that scares you to the core, but opens your eyes to a plight that so many children and unfortunately so many families deal with on a daily basis. It is so frightening that I am unable to put things into words.
Caviezel is fantastic, I mean superb as Tim Ballard, a Special Agent for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), who arrests culprits entangled in child pornography. Caviezel deserves an Oscar nomination for his performance here, because some of the actions he conveys with just his face are fantastic. I cried watching this movie, which is a testament to how gripping the narrative is. As a filmmaker, these are the types of stories that need to be told, even though they are extremely difficult to watch. This is real life and the problem with real life is that it pierces at your heart in a way that fantasy cannot and the script by Rod Barr and Alejandro Monteverde is awesome.
Monteverde conveys the terror these kids endure; the parents endure without actually showing the despicable acts themselves. That absolutely resonated with me as a spectator because I wanted to turn away; it was just too hard to see, but it was to force your eyes to open to the issue at hand. Child sex trafficking is a billion dollar industry and its happening as me speak in the United States and countries all over the world. There are plenty of people involved in this industry to earn a buck and they’re ok with what they’re doing, which disgusts you as a spectator.
There is violence, you cannot trust people, as we witness in the opening sequence with a parent who thinks a beauty queen means no harm in helping his children become successful in the entertainment industry, but it is all a ruse. That is where the journey begins for Ballard who makes it a mission to rescue Miguel, but after safely reuniting the kid with his father, he learns his sister is still being trafficked and he makes it a personal mission of his to rescue her. It is damn harrowing, and gives that nice Hollywood touch that doesn’t always happen in real life, but as a viewer, I don’t think I could stomach not getting the result that unfolds. Go into this film dismissing any noise that you may have heard, because there is some controversy out there, but I was unaware of it until after I saw the film. You have to have an open mind witnessing this flick. I cannot sugarcoat the thematic material unfolding in “Sound of Freedom,” but it was powerful to witness.
