Sound of Freedom has become almost an overnight sensation in the US, but what is the film all about and where can you watch it in the UK?
Alejandro Monteverde’s film Sound of Freedom has become this summer’s most unlikely hit but a hit nonetheless. The film opened in the US on 4 July (appropriately) and quickly climbed the box office list. Sound of Freedom has made over $40 million in the US box office, an impressive figure for a film that very nearly didn’t make it to cinemas at all. The film had a production budget of $14.5m, which is minuscule compared to blockbuster films such as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which only barely beat Sound of Freedom at last weekend’s box office. As well as being financially successful, Sound of Freedom has also become controversial. The film was shot all the way back in 2018 but has only now made it to US cinemas. The producers of Sound of Freedom had struck a distribution deal with 20th Century Fox, but the film was shelved by Disney after they bought the company. Why? Well, this is where the story gets crazy, but let’s look at some facts first.
It seems that those who dug Sound of Freedom really dug it, but the film was also heavily criticised.
In a negative review, Rolling Stone critic Miles Klee described the film as “a stomach-turning experience, fetishizing the torture of its child victims and lingering over lush preludes to their sexual abuse.”
In a more positive review, Variety’s Owen Gleiberman noted that “in a conventional pulp way, we’ve glimpsed the heart of darkness. We’ve seen something about our world that makes the desire to “take action” seem more than an action-movie gesture.” He also noted the film wasn’t as religious as reported.
Nick Allen from RogerEbert.com thought the film was “a solemn, drawn-out bore with a not particularly bold narrative stance.”
The Guardian called the film “the QAnon-adjacent thriller seducing America” in their coverage.
Why has the film become so controversial?
Some of the controversy is due to the fact that Ballard seems to have fabricated some elements of his story.
The film has also been linked to QAnon, the controversial conspiracy theory and political movement.
Ballard himself has said there is no connection, telling Fox News: “They make zero connection to the actual story. It’s very difficult to make that connection when it’s actually based on a true story.”
However, star Jim Cavieziel has previously been linked to QAnon. Caviezel spoke at a QAnon-affiliated conference in 2021 about the film and brought up the highly controversial theory of “adrenochroming”, a theory which believes sex traffickers are able to harvest a substance called adrenochrome from children’s blood.
Cavieziel claimed that Ballard was currently saving children from adrenochroming.
“If a child knows he’s going to die, his body will secrete this adrenaline,” Caviezel said at the event. “These people that do it, there’ll be no mercy for them. This is one of the best films I’ve ever done in my life. The film is on Academy Award level.”
Ballard, who has also been previously been linked to QAnon, addressed the link to the movement in an interview with The New York Times: “Some of these theories have allowed people to open their eyes, so now it’s our job to flood the space with real information so the facts can be shared.”
Brandon Purdie, head of theatrical distribution at Angel Studios, who are distributing the film in the US, denied any links to QAnon but also said the film had “exceeded our expectations”.
Alejandro Monteverde’s film Sound of Freedom has become this summer’s most unlikely hit but a hit nonetheless. The film opened in the US on 4 July (appropriately) and quickly climbed the box office list. Sound of Freedom has made over $40 million in the US box office, an impressive figure for a film that very nearly didn’t make it to cinemas at all. The film had a production budget of $14.5m, which is minuscule compared to blockbuster films such as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which only barely beat Sound of Freedom at last weekend’s box office. As well as being financially successful, Sound of Freedom has also become controversial. The film was shot all the way back in 2018 but has only now made it to US cinemas. The producers of Sound of Freedom had struck a distribution deal with 20th Century Fox, but the film was shelved by Disney after they bought the company. Why? Well, this is where the story gets crazy, but let’s look at some facts first.
What is Sound of Freedom about?
Sound of Freedom follows Tim Ballard, the founder and CEO of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) and a former Homeland Security agent, played by Jim Cavieziel in the film, as he embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue children from sex traffickers in Colombia.Is Sound of Freedom based on a true story?
Kind of. Tim Ballard is indeed a real person, but his story and its authenticity have been widely criticised. American Crime Journal investigative reporters Lynn Packer and Damion Moore have criticised Ballard and argue that he has severely embellished his experiences which made it into the movie.Where can you watch Sound of Freedom in the UK?
We have some bad news. You can’t. Sound of Freedom currently does not have UK distribution, so unless you’re overdue for a trip to the US, you can’t watch Sound of Freedom quite just yet.What did the critics say about it?
The critical reception has been mixed but veering on positive. The film currently holds a 77% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes.Credit: Angel Studios
Credit: Angel Studios
Jim Caviezel of “Person of Interest” attends New York Comic Con 2015 – Day 4 at The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on October 11, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images)
