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Sound of Freedom
Definitely not an easy watch, but 2023's Sound of Freedom is a disturbing docudrama about what is, according to this film, the second biggest criminal moneymaking enterprise on the planet.
The film opens with what appears to be an audition for child models, but it is quickly revealed that these children are being trafficked for child pornography and prostitution. A government agent named Tim Ballard has made it his mission to rescue as many of these children as possible, but his mission becomes personal when he rescues a young boy named Miguel but learns from the boy that his sister is still a slave. Because he has no solid evidence, Tim must give up his job and return to South America as a vigilante working on his own to find this little girl.
Save a couple of episodes of Law and Order: SVU, this is relatively foreign territory as entertainment for this reviewer and the disturbance factor of what I was seeing here was off the charts. It wasn't just watching the ugliness of these traffickers luring young children into their lair with the promise of stardom. It wasn't just the drooling customer case who had oddly specific requirements regarding exactly what they wanted in a child playmate. It was these children, these victims and the different levels of knowledge regarding exactly what was happening to them.
It stars when we see Ballard rescue young Miguel at the US/Mexican border, a remarkable scene that documents how sometimes these kids aren't exactly sure what they are involved in. Director and co-screenwriter Alejandro Monteverde nails this scene where we see the border patrol officers drag the driver of the van off in cuffs, Detective Ballard still has his work cut out for him convincing young Miguel that he is safe and it is OK for him to get out of the van. It isn't until Ballard takes Miguel out for a burger that we see the wall he has built up to protect himself come down. So much of this story is told with the eye of the camera rather than dialogue. The reality of what we are watching here really comes through the faces of these young victims...looks of confusion, terror, and hopelessness.
Monteverde gives the film a very authentic filming in Columbia and provides an emotional heart for the film with his casting of Jim Cavieziel in the role of Tim Ballard, whose beautiful eyes convey exactly how important what he was doing was to him. It's a smidge longer than it needs to be, but it's a well made film on an important subject and I'm a little surprised that it has received little or no attention during award season thus far.
Definitely not an easy watch, but 2023's Sound of Freedom is a disturbing docudrama about what is, according to this film, the second biggest criminal moneymaking enterprise on the planet.
The film opens with what appears to be an audition for child models, but it is quickly revealed that these children are being trafficked for child pornography and prostitution. A government agent named Tim Ballard has made it his mission to rescue as many of these children as possible, but his mission becomes personal when he rescues a young boy named Miguel but learns from the boy that his sister is still a slave. Because he has no solid evidence, Tim must give up his job and return to South America as a vigilante working on his own to find this little girl.
Save a couple of episodes of Law and Order: SVU, this is relatively foreign territory as entertainment for this reviewer and the disturbance factor of what I was seeing here was off the charts. It wasn't just watching the ugliness of these traffickers luring young children into their lair with the promise of stardom. It wasn't just the drooling customer case who had oddly specific requirements regarding exactly what they wanted in a child playmate. It was these children, these victims and the different levels of knowledge regarding exactly what was happening to them.
It stars when we see Ballard rescue young Miguel at the US/Mexican border, a remarkable scene that documents how sometimes these kids aren't exactly sure what they are involved in. Director and co-screenwriter Alejandro Monteverde nails this scene where we see the border patrol officers drag the driver of the van off in cuffs, Detective Ballard still has his work cut out for him convincing young Miguel that he is safe and it is OK for him to get out of the van. It isn't until Ballard takes Miguel out for a burger that we see the wall he has built up to protect himself come down. So much of this story is told with the eye of the camera rather than dialogue. The reality of what we are watching here really comes through the faces of these young victims...looks of confusion, terror, and hopelessness.
Monteverde gives the film a very authentic filming in Columbia and provides an emotional heart for the film with his casting of Jim Cavieziel in the role of Tim Ballard, whose beautiful eyes convey exactly how important what he was doing was to him. It's a smidge longer than it needs to be, but it's a well made film on an important subject and I'm a little surprised that it has received little or no attention during award season thus far.