Sound of Freedom
Rent/Purchase
The story of Tim Ballard, a former US government agent, who quits his job in order to devote his life to rescuing children from global sex traffickers.
What critics thought
DivisiveA deeply polarizing film where the cause — fighting child sex trafficking — is unimpeachable, but critics split hard on whether the movie itself earns its moral urgency. American audiences, particularly faith-based ones, responded strongly; professional critics were largely skeptical or outright hostile, faulting the film's pacing, shallow characterization, and the conspiratorial atmosphere surrounding its release and promotion.
“Sound of Freedom is a solemn, drawn-out bore with a not particularly bold narrative stance—caring about the safety of children is roughly the easiest cause for any remotely decent human being... But while being so committed to such solemnity and suffering, the truncated storytelling by co-writers Monteverde and Rod Barr neglects to flesh out its ideas or characters or add any more intensity to Ballard's slow-slow-slow burn search for two kids in particular (Lucás Ávila's Miguel and Cristal Aparicio's Rocío) whose faces haunt him.”
Nick Allen·RogerEbert.com
“an earnest and well-intentioned attempt to engage with a very real and harrowing issue”
Wendy Ide·The Observer
“Let's assume that, like me, you're not a right-wing fundamentalist conspiracy theorist looking for a dark, faith-based suspense film to see over the holiday weekend… Even then, you needn't hold extreme beliefs to experience Sound of Freedom as a compelling movie that shines an authentic light on one of the crucial criminal horrors of our time, one that Hollywood has mostly shied away from.”
Owen Gleiberman·Variety
“Oddly, the picture's muted tone ultimately undercuts its solemn sense of mission.”
Glenn Kenny·The New York Times
Genres
Biography, Crime, Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorAlejandro Monteverde
StarringJim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino, Bill Camp, Gerardo Taracena, Kurt Fuller
ComposerJavier Navarrete
Sound of Freedom
The story of Tim Ballard, a former US government agent, who quits his job in order to devote his life to rescuing children from global sex traffickers.
What critics thought
DivisiveA deeply polarizing film where the cause — fighting child sex trafficking — is unimpeachable, but critics split hard on whether the movie itself earns its moral urgency. American audiences, particularly faith-based ones, responded strongly; professional critics were largely skeptical or outright hostile, faulting the film's pacing, shallow characterization, and the conspiratorial atmosphere surrounding its release and promotion.
“Sound of Freedom is a solemn, drawn-out bore with a not particularly bold narrative stance—caring about the safety of children is roughly the easiest cause for any remotely decent human being... But while being so committed to such solemnity and suffering, the truncated storytelling by co-writers Monteverde and Rod Barr neglects to flesh out its ideas or characters or add any more intensity to Ballard's slow-slow-slow burn search for two kids in particular (Lucás Ávila's Miguel and Cristal Aparicio's Rocío) whose faces haunt him.”
Nick Allen·RogerEbert.com
“an earnest and well-intentioned attempt to engage with a very real and harrowing issue”
Wendy Ide·The Observer
“Let's assume that, like me, you're not a right-wing fundamentalist conspiracy theorist looking for a dark, faith-based suspense film to see over the holiday weekend… Even then, you needn't hold extreme beliefs to experience Sound of Freedom as a compelling movie that shines an authentic light on one of the crucial criminal horrors of our time, one that Hollywood has mostly shied away from.”
Owen Gleiberman·Variety
“Oddly, the picture's muted tone ultimately undercuts its solemn sense of mission.”
Glenn Kenny·The New York Times
Genres
Biography, Crime, Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorAlejandro Monteverde
StarringJim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino, Bill Camp, Gerardo Taracena, Kurt Fuller
ComposerJavier Navarrete
Rent/Purchase