There are things in this world far more horrifying than any slasher or creature feature you can dig up. Once in a while, I get to talk about movies that can help bring change. One of those is the new true story, true crime film Sound of Freedom, which premiered this week with little fan fair and little advertising and has now gone viral, bringing in over $11 million in its first week, with box office numbers now reaching over $40 million in its second week. In fact, it outdid Indiana Jones by a mile.
Before we get into the movie’s details, here’s a statistic that should keep you up at night; according to the statistics more than 35 million people, including children, are trafficked yearly for sex, slavery and even organ harvesting. Sound of Freedom is bringing real attention to the crime that plagues every country in the world, including the US, where it is a billion-dollar-a-year industry.
The film, which is based on a true crime story, centers on a former government agent turned vigilante who embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue hundreds of children from sex traffickers.
The real hero behind the story is Tim Ballard, who worked for 12 years as a special agent for the Department of Homeland Security before leaving to start his non-profit organization, Operation Underground Railroad, devoted to fighting child trafficking worldwide. To save children, he has gone undercover as pedophiles and sex traffickers to infiltrate trafficking rings, rescue victims, and see that the villains are punished.
Alejandro Monteverde (Little Boy) serves as director and co-writer of the faith-based film that stars Jim Caviezel as Tim Ballard. Mira Sorvino, Kurt Fuller, Scott Haze, Bill Camp, José Zúñiga, and Eduardo Verástegui also star.
The film must be doing something right. Certain groups that I will not name are attacking the movie, saying that it is blowing things out of portion and that human trafficking for the organ trade is not real. They are also calling for the film to be removed from theaters. Clearly, they are trying to prevent a movement to end trafficking. I mean, why else would groups go after an indie movie like this so hard?
Sound of Freedom is now playing in theaters. Be sure to get your tickets in advance because they are selling out fast.
If you or someone you know may be a victim of trafficking, please contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
