UNITED STATES—Wow, all I can say is wow. The subject matter is very tough, the sex trafficking of children around the world. It is literally heartbreaking. But the story is so well told, and so needs to be told, to bring awareness to this awful, on-going situation.
The film follows the true story of Tim Ballard, played by the amazing Jim Caviezel, a special agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Human Trafficking division that hunts pedophiles and arrests them. As of the beginning of the movie, he had arrested 288 subjects. And it seems that there was a never-ending stream of such people to take their places. That’s when special agent Ballard became involved in an arrest of a trafficker at the U.S. border, and he met a frightened little boy (Miguel) who just wanted to find his sister (Rocio) and return home to their Nicaraguan town.
It becomes Ballard’s mission to find Rocio and reunite these beautiful children with their father. A father who was desperate to find his children but had no means or resources to do so. As part of an elaborate ruse, the promise of a modeling contract and a bright future, his children were lured away from him for a “photo shoot” in their village and disappeared without a trace.
Agent Ballard follows multiple leads and his heart attempting to find the little girl, leads that would bring him to third-world, dangerous places. When Homeland Security calls him home, he has a choice to make; turn his back on ever finding Rocio, or risk his career, his future and his very life to find her and to bring her home.
With the encouragement of Ballard’s wife, (played by Mira Sorvino) he quit his job and ventured into the jungles of Colombia to find Rocio. He has help along the way and through the efforts of a small group of heroes, rescue 57 children – a pivotal moment in the movie where the ‘sound of freedom’ moniker receives its title. However, Rocio is not among the recused that day.
After a hair-raising trip farther into the jungles of Columbia, Ballard poses as a doctor to get access to the hidden enclave where little Rocio is being held. The rescue scenes are as intense as they are satisfying. It’s difficult to hold back your applause and your tears. Jim Caviezel delivers a knock-out performance. Be sure to stay until the very end for a personal message from him.
Please don’t miss this powerful film.
