Breaking the Silence: A Film Analysis of Sound of Freedom

Sound of Freedom, 2023

Directed By: Alejandro Gómez Monteverde

Link to Trailer

The film, "Sound of Freedom" is a film based on true events. It is about a man named Tim Ballard, he is introduced in the first several minutes of the movie as a committed husband, father, and federal agent. But the more he learns about the world of child exploitation and trafficking, the more his conscience tugs at him. Ballard is troubled by an ethical crisis after seeing the crimes committed by cruel criminals against helpless kids. He decides to leave his government job and pursue a different career after realizing that he cannot continue to be silent. He forms a private organization with the mission of rescuing and saving trafficked children. He creates a team of people with similar goals as himself, each bringing their unique skills and experiences to the cause. 

The movie shows risky rescue missions taking place all across the world as Ballard's operation picks up the pace. Ballard and his associates frequently risk their own lives to protect the defenseless as they enter dangerous and shadowy locations where children are being mistreated. The movie is not afraid to reveal the grim realities of child trafficking, showing the pain and agony these victims go through. The peak of the film is a daring and high-stakes operation to rescue a large group of trafficked children. This mission shows the dedication and bravery of Ballard and his team. Although Ballard did a successful job of saving 54 children, he had to continue on a quest to find Rocio, a young girl who is the sister of Miguel, a boy who was trafficked at the beginning of the film. After a long journey and having to go beyond the safety in Colombia, Ballard finds the man who owns her and saves her from the situation successfully rescuing her and returning her to her father. Which in turn, reunited the family all together. 

In "Sound of Freedom," the plot device is the necklace engraved withe the name "TIMOTEO" which is Tim's name in Spanish. Miguel gave it to Tim after he rescued him. It drove the plot because it provided a motivator for him to find Miguel's sister, Rocio.

The 3 main acts of the film begin with Rocio and Miguel's father as a character and the woman who made an effort to trick him so that his children could be trafficked. His 2 children go missing and then the following scenes introduce Tim Ballard. He is introduced as a good man whose job is to catch people in these predicaments. His journey starts when he originally captures the first pedophile, leading him to Miguel. Then he becomes determined to unite the family all together so he organizes a scheme with the people who kidnapped Miguel and Rocio in hopes of finding her. The scheme successfully saved 54 children but Tim was still unable to find Rocio. In the 3rd act he becomes frustrated but is still determined to save her so he goes on another mission to the ungoverned area of Colombia in which he finds the gangster that owns her and kills him in the middle of the night. Following that, he sneaks her off the area taking her to safety which brings her, Miguel, and her father together once again

In Tim Ballard, I noticed there was not a specific character change throughout the film but his goals did shift throughout the film. He was devoted to his job from the start and always had the same morals against pedophilia making him committed to his work. Due to the events that took place, his missions kept escalating to specifically and eventually reunite the family all together.