Sound of Freedom has been the surprise box office hit of the summer, competing against huge blockbusters such as Barbie and Oppenheimer, and it is now set to come to the UK.
Directed by Alejandro Gómez Monteverde, the film follows a federal agent who embarks on a dangerous mission to save young children from sex trafficking ring in Colombia.
The lead character is based on Timothy Ballard, a former Department of Homeland Security agent who founded anti-human trafficking organisation Operation Underground Railroad (OUR).
Following its release on July 4, the indie film has raked in over $180 million at the domestic box office, surpassing huge blockbusters including Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. It will open in UK cinemas on Friday, September 1.
But its success has not come without controversy, triggering political tensions and questions over its factual accuracy.
Sound of Freedom has been the surprise box office hit of the summer, but its success hasn’t come without controversy
![The film has been the subject of much political division, with some raising questions of factual accuracy and others criticising it for its supposed 'QAnon' links](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/31/16/74922103-12466197-image-a-42_1693495601997.jpg)
The film has been the subject of much political division, with some raising questions of factual accuracy and others criticising it for its supposed ‘QAnon’ links
Erin Albright, an attorney who previously worked as a fellow for the Department of Justice’s anti-trafficking task told Rolling Stone that the film is ‘grounded in this sensational perspective of what child trafficking would be.’
On the opposite side of the political spectrum, the film has been linked with QAnon supporters.
For those unaware, QAnon is a political conspiracy that rose in 2017 beginning with forum posts from far-righters on 4chan.
Theorists believe there is a group of Satanic child molesters operating a child sex trafficking ring which conspired against Donald Trump.
Yet Monteverde has denied all claims that the film has ties to QAnon.
According to The Guardian, at a Gala screening in London on Thursday, he called some of the headlines the film has received as ‘heartbreaking.’
Distancing himself from links to QAnon, he said: ‘It’s a fact that this film is not based on the QAnon conspiracy.’
![The indie film has been criticized for offering a 'sensationalized' perspective of child trafficking](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/31/16/74922125-12466197-image-a-43_1693495611508.jpg)
The indie film has been criticized for offering a ‘sensationalized’ perspective of child trafficking
![The film has caused a heated political debate after far-right QAnon theorists showed their support](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/31/16/74922141-12466197-image-a-45_1693495619133.jpg)
The film has caused a heated political debate after far-right QAnon theorists showed their support
However, while the film doesn’t directly take a political stance or contain elements of QAnon beliefs, its lead actor has previously shared QAnon theories.
While promoting the film, Caviezel suggested that Ballard was ‘saving children’ from ‘adrenochroming’ – the bizarre theory that traffickers drain children’s blood as a life-enhancing elixir called adrenochrome.
Reflecting on Caviezel’s comments, Monteverde said: ‘I hire people to work on my movie. What they do after is their choice. Do I agree with everything that people do after? Absolutely not.’
The film garnered support from right-wing political figures such as Donald Trump and Steve Bannon.
Donald Trump held a screening of the film in his private club in New Jersey last month and previously congratulated the lead actor himself on the success of the movie.
The film has also been endorsed by A-lister Mel Gibson, who said in a video: ‘One of the most disturbing problems in our world today is human trafficking, and particularly the trafficking of children.
‘Now, the first step in eradicating this crime is awareness… go see Sound of Freedom.’
![Following its initial US release, the film will hit UK and Irish cinemas on September 1](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/31/16/74922085-12466197-image-a-46_1693495622794.jpg)
Following its initial US release, the film will hit UK and Irish cinemas on September 1
Adding to the fire, VICE reported Ballard had stepped out from Operation Underground Railroad prior to the launch of the film.
Outside of the political controversy, the film has been well received and has far surpassed its modest budget of $14.5 million.
It scored a high 8.3/10 rating on IMDb and a respectable 64 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Months after its US-premiere, the film will hit cinemas in the UK and Ireland on September 1.