Wow. Finally, a cause I think we can all get behind across the board. I promise you, there are no differences we have–politically, spiritually, or in any way that really matters–that should stop you from seeing this movie. ❤

Get your free tickets here (I’m actually serious) ~~ The Sound of Freedom

Starring: Jim Caviezel (Tim Ballard), Mira Sorvino (Katherine Ballard), Cristal Aparicio (Rocio), Lucas Avila (Miguel), Jose Zuniga (Roberto), Bill Camp (Vampiro), Yessica Borroto Perryman (Katy/Giselle)

Plot (taken from Angel Studios):

“Based on the gripping true story of a man’s mission to rescue children from the darkest corners of the world. This action-packed drama shines a light on the harrowing reality of sex trafficking and the valiant efforts of those who work tirelessly to combat it.”

Trailer:

Characters:

**Just a heads up – from this point forward, I’m strongly channeling my inner Ashriel, lol. There be cussing and ranting ahead.**

Jim Caviezel (Tim Ballard) – A DHS Special Agent who does sting operations to catch shit-bag pedophiles. It’s beginning to get to him that he can’t get the kids back once they’re taken, which ultimately leads him on a journey to find Rocio, and many more.

Mira Sorvino (Katherine Ballard) – Tim’s wife, who holds his family together and supports him while he’s out resisting the completely justified urge to dismember pedophiles so he can rescue innocent children.

Cristal Aparicio (Rocio) – A strong girl who likes to sing and drum. She’s lured in by Katy/Giselle, under the guise of a talent show or competition. She tries to protect her younger brother, when he’s drawn in with her. She gives her brother her necklace before they’re separated, which is seen throughout the movie. She is based on a child, Gardy, who the real-life Tim is still searching for to this day.

Lucas Avila (Miguel) – A brave boy who, when he is rescued by Tim after the initial sting operation, asks Tim to find his sister. He passes the necklace to Tim. He was based on a real child Tim rescued.

Jose Zuniga (Roberto) – A loving father who is desperate to get his children back. He gave the necklace to Rocio.

Bill Camp (Vampiro) – A not-entirely-reformed cartel boss (I think he’s the boss) who helps Tim get in with the human traffickers. He’s done some things that scarred him, and coming face to face with that one night is what moves him to do what he does, helping to free trafficked children behind the scenes. This is based on a real guy who still helps free trafficked children.

Yessica Borroto Perryman (Katy/Giselle) – This character got to me because she was the one to lure the kids in. She was manipulative, and seemed innocent enough, getting kids excited to be musicians or models. Parents brought their kids to her, thinking they were doing something good for them. The actress did a fabulous job of portraying what a “satchel of Richards” this bitch is, right here. The real life Miss Cartagena that Katy/Giselle is mostly based on can go fuck herself sideways.

**Obviously, parts of the story had to be dramatized for the big screen and to keep the pace going. For some more information on which characters and plot points were based on real people and situations, you can look ~~ HERE **

Review + ranting & cussing because it was that intense and I still have feelings about it, several weeks later:

Buckle up, my friends. This movie is rated PG-13, nothing explicit is shown, but it’s still a gut-wrenching, emotionally powerful, mostly true story that doesn’t let go of you the entire 2hrs 15mins. I’m pretty sure I cried for 1hr 45mins of it. You don’t need to have kids to feel it, but if you do it hits especially hard in that terrifying place in the back of your mind that you don’t want to think about, where you know there is unimaginable evil in this world.

I came out wishing Jigsaw was real and had a preference for pedos. I was so emotionally sapped, my husband drove to Dairy Queen to get me sugar, like I had just been passionately sucking face with a dementor for a couple hours.

God bless the people who can do the kind of work Tim Ballard does. I don’t know how they resist the urge to bury these fuckers naked, genetalia up, in the desert, cover them in honey, and let the fucking fire ants and buzzards have them. I am reminded, yet again, of my favorite quote from another movie reviewer: “There is nothing wrong with a pedophile that the flat end of a shovel and a vat of DNA-splicing acid can’t fix.”

Lol, it’s probably obvious by this point, but this movie REALLY got to me. I’m feeling a lot of anger and sadness and I’m all fired up and ready to rant about it.

I’m not exaggerating when I say I had to re-write this post, like 3 times. I had to cut out a lot of my initial, super-emotional, knee-jerk reactions. That’s honestly why it’s taken so long to get this post out there. I saw this movie weeks ago. Lol, what you have here, my friends, *IS* the less emotionally charged version.

Lol, if anyone is interested in my less PC opinions, maybe I’ll do some “Dark-side Paige” review of this movie. Lol, it would be 90% cussing and aggression, I’m sure. For now, I’m just going to stick to commenting on the contents of the movie and attempt to leave my less useful, more destructive opinions out of it.

Lol, now I’m going to breathe, and try and stuff the side of myself that created Ashriel back into its fiery corner until Book 4, so my commentary is less volatile. I’m going to think of peace for a second here. Try and center myself.

Ok, so the first thing you should know about this movie is that they did a fantastic job of creating a gritty, realistic, emotional story. A lot of the movie is going between one tension-driven scene to the next. You know exactly what’s at stake if Tim isn’t able to complete his mission. And you also know exactly what is happening while he’s desperately trying to get to these children.

It is a painful reality that I don’t even want to put into words.

And Jim Caviezel does an amazing job portraying the emotional struggle that comes along with doing the kind of work Tim does, knowing he can’t make it to every child that is taken.

This isn’t a “flashy action scene” kind of movie. But I don’t think it needs that, as much as I may have wished for some Punisher levels of violence.

I don’t usually notice the instrumental score as much in movies, but it played a big part here in the way they used absolute silence during certain scenes. It was powerful, and gave those moments the ability to leave a lasting impression.

I think it was so effective because, according to what I’ve heard about the making of the movie, the real-life Tim Ballard pretty much demanded that this movie not show anything graphic.

Thank. Fucking. God.

This was not another Cuties, where they were trying to stop child exploitation by showing child exploitation. Instead, they trust the viewer to follow what isn’t shown.

I feel like that makes it even more gripping, especially considering there’s very little left to the imagination anymore. In the pursuit of being shocking, a lot of films just go the explicit route, not allowing the viewer to stretch their imagination, or infer anything. Personally, that just leaves me numb rather than giving me any kind of deeper reaction. When used in horror, erotica, or action films, if the “shock and awe” strategy isn’t done just right, film makers can skip right over “impactful” and go straight to “boring” or “predictable,” no matter how exciting or interesting the original premise.

The movie really shines in that it relies, instead, on making you genuinely care about the characters, and by extension, the real-life people involved.

And holy shit, the level of restraint you would have to have to pretend to be a pedophile to lure in the sick bastards that actually do this stuff.

Nope.

Nope.

Straight to the desert.

Refer to my earlier comment about burying these fuckers.

When I say it’s tense the whole way through, I’m not kidding. The opening credits of the movie grab you right away.

From that point forward, there are very few breaks in the pressure. I felt anxious even during the calmer scenes because, like I said earlier, they don’t shy away from what is happening elsewhere while Tim is trying to set things up.

There’s that constant, unrelenting knowledge that time is passing for these kids.

Although the movie ended without the justifiable bloodshed I desperately needed by that point, I liked the way they handled it. In maintaining that realism, they couldn’t have The Punisher barge in and string all the pedos up in various satisfyingly bloody ways, and they couldn’t end it with a perfect happy, uplifting ending, but you can breathe again at least. There’s closure for the characters.

The movie wraps up with some mind-blowing statistics, a call to action during the end credits, and a feeling in your chest like you want to do something about it.

My rating for The Sound of Freedom: Epic – I won’t call this movie entertaining. It really does punch you in the gut. This was very hard to sit through, but I think it’s a very important and powerful movie that I absolutely will be buying. They’re planning a documentary about Tim Ballard and his work. If that happens, stay tuned for my first documentary review, lol. In the meantime, I’m going to go get a hug and some icecream because working on this review made me cry. Again. Then I’m going to huddle up in a ball and watch the happiest, sugariest movie I can get my hands on. My next review may be of a cartoon, or a compilation of snuggling kittens and frolicking puppies.

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My Rating System:

Epic: This movie is so mind-bogglingly awesome that I may go see it twice. This one will have a place of honor on my shelf.

Cash-Worthy: Good stuff. This will most likely find a place on my shelf.

Not Bad: I liked it. I’m glad I saw it, and it may or may not end up on my shelf at some point. I would say rent it first to be safe.

Meh: Rent it first. You may love it or hate it, but I’m indifferent probably because it’s not my type of movie. I’m glad I saw it, but it won’t end up on my shelf.

Emergency Cake: I have an emotional reaction to movies sometimes, especially to tragedies. If a movie makes me sad or angry, sometimes it will stick with me for a while. At these times, only chocolate cake can save me. Chocolate cake makes everything better. No shelf for you. Ever.

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