Sound of Freedomwas one of the most polarizing movies from 2023, partially because of its marketing campaign and its connection to conspiracy theories that somewhat diluted the film’s message. A Christian thriller,Sound of Freedomstars Jim Caviezel as Tim Ballard, a former U.S. government agent who sets out on a mission to rescue children from sex traffickers in Colombia. The main plot centers around Ballard’s Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), an anti-sex trafficking organization he founded in 2013.
Sound of Freedomwas a huge success, making $250 million against a $14.5 million budget, making it one of history’s most successful independent films. The marketing, however, faced criticism since many sold-out theaters were empty thanks to Angel Studios asking people to do a “pay-it-forward” deal, where they would buy a ticket for someone who couldn’t attend otherwise and support the movie (viaDeadline). However,the biggest criticism was aimed at the accuracy of the filmand its leaning into various conspiracy theories.
What Was The Inspiration For Sound Of Freedom?
Tim Ballard Founded An Organization That Rescued Children
Sound of Freedomwas an original script by Rod Barr and Alejandro Monteverde based on the real-life exploits of Tim Ballard. Before founding his Operation Underground Railroad organization to rescue children from sex traffickers,Ballard was part of the CIA and the then-newly-formed Department of Homeland Security. He said he spent years arresting people who bought child exploitation materials, but he never had a chance to rescue the kids (viaThe National Archives).
“I spent over 12 years working as a special agent/undercover operator for Homeland Security Investigations in the Child Crimes/Child Trafficking unit. For a decade of that service, I was stationed at the border office in Calexico, California. Based on my extensive experience fighting transnational crime along the southern border, I know that we should absolutely finish building the wall for the sake of the children.”
This all led to Tim Ballard being on a mission for the U.S. government in Haiti and Colombia in 2012. He was then ordered to return home and give up on them. Ballard said he wouldn’t leave the kids in danger there, so he quit and remained behind to start his new rescue organization. That is the part of Ballard’s life on which the movie is based.
What To Know About Tim Ballard & The Non-Profit To Find The Children
Tim Ballard Started OUR But Found Himself In Hot Water
When Tim Ballard made it known that he wanted to help rescue the children from the sex trafficking rings, he found help from a famous celebrity.Glenn Beck, a conservative talk show host, donated the money to help Ballard get OUR off the ground. Beck said he and Ballard were on the phone all the time, discussing what they wanted to do and how they could save the children (viaKUTV).
The group was also associated with QAnon conspiracy theories.
Beck started the Nazarene Fune, an anti-trafficking organization that named Ballard the CEO. However, OUR was under scrutiny from the start. The Justice Department issued a warning that “no task-force group should partner with O.U.R. or provide O.U.R. with ‘any resources, equipment, personnel, training’” (viaThe New York Times). The group was also associated with QAnon conspiracy theories, while Ballard pushed the group’s mission statement of rescuing sex-trafficked women.
Despite this, OUR was able to aid in the arrest of pro-pedophilia activists Nelson Maatman, who fled to Mexico, and Marthijn Uittenbogaard and his partner, who both fled to Ecuador (viaAP News). Unfortunately,Ballard’s association with the group he founded ended on a bad notewhen several women accused him of sexual misconduct and grooming, and OUR removed him as its leader (viaVice). Glenn Beck has also distanced himself from Ballard after he learned more about the accusations.
What Was Inaccurate In Sound Of Freedom?
The Movie Exaggerated The People Saved & Tim Ballard’s Actions
Sound of Freedomwas mostly an account ofTim Ballard’s time spent running Operation Underground Railroad. However, when asked about accuracy, Tim Ballard said, “Every bad guy is real. In fact, the movie was cut because it got too long. They had cards at the end, telling you every bad guy’s real, every kid is real, and it told you where they are today” (viaYouTube).
Ballard also claimed that the movie showed they rescued 54 kids, but he said they actually rescued over 120 of them. With that said, the real rescue event saw 25 Colombian special operatives raid the party to arrest five suspects and rescue 54 victims. Only 29 of them were minors, which means the movie and Ballard’s later claims exaggerate the event (viaCBS News).
Sound Of Freedom Ending Explained - What Happened To Tim Ballard?
The 2023 action film Sound of Freedom starring Jim Caviezel has been a surprise hit at the box office. Read on for an analysis of the movie’s ending.
The part of the movie with the woman pretending to be a talent recruiter to capture the children was also true, as it wasbased on a former beauty queen named Kelly Johana Suarez. This woman sued Ballard for her portrayal in the movie before she was arrested and convicted of “pimping a child under 14 years” in Colombia (viaThe Salt Lake Tribune). Bill Camp’s character of Vampiro was also based on a real person who helped Ballard.
However,Ballard’s action scenes, as portrayed by Jim Caviezel, were mostly fictional. While he set things up, he wasn’t there to go into action and fight the bad guys. That was only placed in the movie to make it more exciting. Ballard said they set up plans in real life to ensure those things wouldn’t happen.“What you have to do is ahead of time set it up so you don’t find yourself in those situations. In full transparency, that scene was fictionalized,” Ballard admitted about a scene where his character pulled a gun on someone to save a child.
Where Is Tim Ballard Now?
Tim Ballard Has Faced Several Lawsuits In The Past Few Years
Several womenaccused Tim Ballard of sexual harassmentand sexual abuse. In October 2024, a new federal lawsuit accuses him of human trafficking, something he promoted fighting against for so many years. For his part, Ballard has filed lawsuits against the plaintiffs for defamation (viaThe Salt Lake Tribune). The six women suing Ballard claim, “Instead of rescuing women and children from trafficking, these defendants used their positions of trust to exploit and abuse and traffic women.”
Ballard, on the other hand, has said these lawsuits are proof of the QAnon conspiracy theories that the “wealthy and powerful people connected to this dark and evil underworld who do not want to be exposed.” However, at the same time, Glenn Beck has distanced himself from his former friend, saying he “knows the truth,” and OAM has broken off their connection to him as well after an independent investigation “affirmed” the sexual misconduct allegations (viaDeseret News).
Why Is Sound Of Freedom So Controversial?
The Movie Is Connected With Extreme Conspiracy Theories
The movie was a success, and there were a lot of audience members who praised its story of a man setting out to rescue children from sex trafficking rings without the support of the United States government. However, the biggest problem came withthe film’s connection to the QAnon conspiracy theoriesthat Tim Ballard and star Jim Caviezel have both promoted in interviews over the years. While the movie itself avoids these theories, some critics believe the conspiracies were embellished in the film’s story (viaThe Washington Post).
Sound Of Freedom: All Updates & Controversies Since It Released
Following the premiere of Angel Studios’s Sound of Freedom, several updates and controversies have arisen concerning the 2023 crime thriller movie.
It also didn’t help thatSound of Freedomwent out of its way to promote that it was better than blockbusters likeIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destinyand used theories that it was fighting against the Hollywood studios and it was part of a “culture war” that was mostly invented to sell more tickets. While it was a massive success considering its budget, it remained a runaway hit when it hit VOD and thanks to its Chrsitian-based audience, it ended up as one of 2024’s most-watched movies along withBarbieandOppenheimer.
