‘Sound of Freedom’ was the surprise blockbuster of the summer in the United States and the latest cause of the cultural war that the extreme right maintains against the main North American media. The ‘thriller’, by Mexican director and screenwriter Alejandro Monteverde, tells the journey of a rogue National Security agent, Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel), to save kidnapped children from a Colombian sex trafficking ring.
Produced independently and through crowdfunding for 14.5 million dollars, the film exceeded 200 million in box office receipts and its defenders consider its success a response to Hollywood’s submission to the ‘woke’ movement in which they include movies like ‘Barbie’. Not in vain did former President Donald Trump recently host a screening of the film at his golf course in New Jersey. The film has just hit the Spanish theaters.
-Why is ‘Sound of Freedom’ so controversial?
-The idea for this film began in 2015. I was writing another film when I saw a small news story about child trafficking and child pornography. It shook me and I thought I should do something about it. Child sexual exploitation and abuse is a real and horrible crime, which needs to be recognized and confronted. But the acceptance of the film by QAnon followers – it is one of the far-right conspiracy theories, which speaks of an alleged secret plot against Trump – has hijacked the intention of raising awareness and turned it into a war cry of his followers. It’s heartbreaking and it hurts me. The moment they started labeling the tape with conspiracy theories, the purity of the work was discredited.
-The film also included an unusual box office tactic: a video with Jim Caviezel at the end of the credits that invites viewers to buy tickets so that others can go see the film.
-At first I did not totally agree with that campaign. They told me: “We’re going to put a video at the end where Jim will speak.” I was surprised, but I had to trust the producers. Nobody thought that this movie was going to do the box office it is doing. It’s a complete surprise, even to me. I thought this movie would never be released and I ended up giving away my rights. I’m not going to earn a single dollar.
-‘Sound of Freedom’ has shaken politics in the United States, do you expect the same to happen in other countries?
-Let’s see what happens when it is launched internationally. If on a global level, it also succeeds, then it cannot be denied, but these same conspiracy theories do not exist in Mexico, Argentina, France, Italy or Spain. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen. I want to maintain humility. I feel excited.
-Fighting child exploitation seems to be the last thing that should divide people.
-I think it’s the culture we live in. We can’t stop labeling things. If you don’t say what your position is, then it’s a problem. If you refuse to give your political point of view, they tell you: you have to do it. But why? And that is a question. Imagine a hamburger stand. You could have a Buddhist baking the bread, a Muslim making the burger, and a Catholic serving it. You’re not going to say it’s a religious burger. So why do we do that with cinema? Let the film speak for itself.
-Do you still feel that Jim was the right person for the role?
-When I hear the name Jim Caviezel, I think of one of the most professional actors I have ever met, who dedicated himself body and soul to the character. What he does next, that is his personal life. The lead actor needs to really believe that atrocities are happening and have a conviction about it. When he was casting, he was looking for someone passionate about the subject. If you were making a movie about global warming, you wouldn’t cast an actor who drives a Hummer, you look for the actor who cleans up plastic on the beach. When I first had dinner with Jim, I saw how close his heart was to this cause. He himself adopted three of his children in China. His conviction of wanting to shed light on child trafficking was so deep that he moved me.
-How do you respond to complaints that the film mischaracterizes the victims?
-Our main drive was to make a film about child trafficking, raise awareness, but never say that this is the only way it happens. There are, unfortunately, mothers who sell their own children. Children abused by their uncles. I’m not saying that’s not happening. The film is driven by a story that is the tip of the iceberg. When I dove a little deeper, I got really scared. It’s even darker.
-Did you have control of your project?
-When I direct a film, one of the things I ask everyone is to let me be the director. You can ask me all the questions you want, but at the end of the day, if we have two captains, the ship will sink. As a director, I want people to let me do my thing. When this film was shelved, we didn’t know who was going to distribute it. All I knew was that the producers had taken it from the distributor who had it. Then Angel Studios came and said, “We have a plan.” For me, as a narrator, anything you put inside my film that is not mine is going to hurt me. No matter what it is. So this was a question of trust. I respect and admire the work that Angel Studios does, because it is not an easy film to market. I am very grateful to them.
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