Freedom backlash misses film’s mission to expose, condemn horrors of trafficking

Emotional, realistic, and all too real representation of child sex trafficking, The Sound of Freedom has been in the making for five years as it was originally shot in 2018 and first released on July 4 of this year. The release date was a strategy as this movie dives into the fact that these children need someone to fight for their freedom and independence as they are suppressed. 

This movie brings tears to viewers by horrifyingly shedding light on the fact that though there are many people that have been caught as pedophiles and sexual offenders and jailed for such, there are still far too many children that haven’t been found yet, thus still being shoved from one abusive person to the next. The Sound of Freedom was supposed to be a call for help, showcasing how children are often never found and are forever trapped in the world of being sex slaves.

Freedom is based on the real-life story of Tim Ballard, a former special agent. Ballard worked for the Department of Homeland Security and founded the anti-trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad (OUR). Since its release, there has been a lot of controversy that this story exaggerates Ballard’s experience, and this controversy has distracted from the positive attention of the film. Whether these allegations are true or not shouldn’t take away from the overall message of the film, and it's shameful that this has taken place. This movie isn’t meant to be about honoring an agent, but bringing attention to the children that have been ripped away from good homes and caring parents, to be brought into an abusive world.

The film starts off with a father just trying to help his children advance in the world, but as it turns out, they were kidnapped and shipped off for sex trafficking. This leaves the father in despair and due to poverty, there isn’t much he’s able to do about it except hope they will be brought back to him. In this movie, the idea that many people focus too much on is that Ballard went through great lengths to get these children back. Rather than wondering if the agent’s role was exaggerated, critics should instead focus on the plight of children and the message of need.

The problem is that people label this movie as inaccurate, meaning it shouldn’t be watched and supported, but in reality, the focal point should be that kids are still out there, missing, sold, and forced to do things against their will. The posters and bulletins of missing children that never get found are a real thing. While the people behind the trafficking get caught, the real question remains - what happens to the children afterwards? Even those that do get to go home will never be the same.

The representation of this is absolutely incredible, and though it’s just acting, it seemed all the actors fully understood the purpose of the film and its significance. The Sound of Freedom pulls at the heart strings of many viewers and causes parents that watch to see anything and anyone as a danger to their children. No parent wants their child ripped away from them, yet it still happens, and the kids never return home. In the movie, kids are shipped across the ocean in a crate and kept there for months with little to no food and water, and no place to go to the bathroom. 

This is no one's favorite subject to discuss, but that doesn’t mean it should be avoided. The fact that children go missing and never get found seems to be a low societal priority. A child’s photo may show up on the news, but almost never gets brought up again. This is an issue that needs fixing. A child should never be forcefully removed from a good, caring home for any reason. Children belong with their parents and people aren’t usually willing to take great lengths to get them back. There is almost no one looking for them besides their parents, whose hope dwindles each day. Someone needs to find these children and that’s the point of this movie. It’s a cry for help, one that shouldn’t be ignored. 

A+

by  Ashley Schumann

Published October 2 2023

Oshkosh West Index Volume 120 Issue I