Angel Studios’ “Sound of Freedom” made a splash with its Independence Day release, drawing a mixture of praise and criticism. Some are saying the film promotes conspiracy theories. Others allege that it is the victim of one.
The movie centers on the story of Tim Ballard, a former U.S. federal agent who rescued child sex-trafficking victims in South America. Ballard is played by Jim Caviezel, known for portraying Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ,” and more recently for his association with the QAnon community.
Given Caviezel’s penchant for QAnon conspiracy theories, many of which allege grand schemes of child sex-trafficking, critics of the film have sought to cast doubt on the veracity of the real-life account it portrays, characterizing the movie as “QAnon adjacent.”
“Those tuned in to the eardrum-perforating frequency of QAnon…have heeded a clarion call that leads right to the multiplex,” wrote Charles Bramesco in a review for The Guardian, further arguing the Caviezel “betrays an evident messianic complex by announcing that his movie could very well be the most important ever made, going so far as to compare it to Uncle Tom’s Cabin in its campaign to shine a light on 21st-century slavery.”
RELATED: Jim Caviezel: ‘Modern-Day Christianity Has Become So Weak and Useless’
Miles Klee argued in an article for Rolling Stone that the film depicts a “grossly exaggerated ‘epidemic’ of child sex-trafficking, much of it funneling people into conspiracist rabbit holes and QAnon communities.”
Others, including anti-trafficking experts, have offered more nuanced critiques, arguing that while child sex-trafficking is a real problem, the solutions to it are more multifaceted than the film might lead viewers to believe.
“We’re not taking doors down. We’re not taking people over our shoulder,” Jeff Shaw, chief program officer for Frontline Response, a Christian anti-trafficking organization, told Christianity Today. “It’s complicated.”
Supporters of the film have responded to the harsher critiques from left-leaning publications and media figures with indignation, and many have taken to social media to declare that “child sex-trafficking is not a conspiracy theory” and “God’s children are not for sale.” The latter statement is a line from the film.
“Sex trafficking is real and horrific,” tweeted pro-life advocate Lila Rose. “Those downplaying it and mocking incredible films like Sound of Freedom are only enablers of the abuse.”
RELATED: Critics Discredit ‘Sound of Freedom’ by Linking It to QAnon; Supporters Push Back
Conservative commentator Erick Erickson tweeted, “It really is wild to see leftwing outlets attack Sound of Freedom as ‘QAnon’ because it is about the true story of someone who fought human trafficking. You guys do know human trafficking is real, right?”
