Bethel McGrew: The maligned Sound of Freedom

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Tuesday, July 18th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHARD, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Next up, a new voice: WORLD Opinions writer Bethel McGrew. She’s a high school teacher, she’s a Ph.D. mathematician, and she writes on matters of culture. Today, she weighs in on the film titled Sound of Freedom.

BETHEL McGREW, COMMENTATOR: If you weren’t already planning to see the new film Sound of Freedom, the mainstream media seems determined to make sure you do—not that this is their intention. The modestly budgeted thriller shines a light on the pitch-black world of child sex trafficking, based on the true story of former special agent Tim Ballard. It opened on July 4 and proceeded to surpass box office expectations, beating out the new Indiana Jones movie in per-screen earnings. It’s well-written, well-acted, and exposes global crimes against the most vulnerable. So is it being met with glowing reviews?

Well, let’s flip through a few headlines. Rolling Stone sneers, “Sound Of Freedom Is a Superhero Movie for Dads With Brainworms,” further elaborating that the “QAnon-tinged” thriller is “designed to appeal to the conscience of a conspiracy-addled boomer.” The Guardian echoes the same refrain that the film is “QAnon-adjacent” and “paranoid,” only to reluctantly admit halfway through the review that it’s actually a “mostly straightforward” thriller, and you have to squint at the “subtext” to pick up on the really sinister stuff. Then we have Jezebel, complaining about a rescue scene that the only thing “visually distinguishing” it from a kidnapping is “the implied virtue,” because the hero escapes with the little girl in a speeding van. I wonder if Jezebel reviews medical shows like this: The only thing that visually distinguishes this open-heart surgery from a scene out of a slasher movie is the implied virtue.

So is there anything to all the cries of “QAnon” this and “MAGA” that? Although the media has repeatedly tried to link Ballard’s group Operation Underground Railroad with a far-right fringe, the organization has distanced itself from lurid conspiracist speculation. However, some deeper controversy has swirled around Ballard’s tactics, financial transparency, and honesty. Some of these concerns may be legitimate, though it’s difficult to tell when outlets like Vice mix reportage with fabrication, like the false claim that victims aren’t offered after-care for their trauma.

The media is also accusing lead actor Jim Caviezel of “embracing” QAnon, using some admittedly naïve quotes to smear him as a fringe figure.

It might be true that Caviezel could be more careful in the company he keeps or the speculative ideas he circulates. But if the movie is good, then why should it matter? Caviezel would hardly be the first movie star to entertain some odd ideas. (Tom Cruise, anyone?)

In the end, the reason for the coordinated backlash is clear: Movies made by and for conservatives simply aren’t supposed to do well. Sound of Freedom broke this unspoken rule by becoming a theatrical success story, in a time when theatrical success stories are few and far between.

The reason for that success is likewise clear: This is a simple story of good versus evil, masculine virtue, and the sort of intimately focused heroism audiences crave in a post-Marvel landscape. It used to be enough for Peter Parker to save one little girl from a burning building. Now, the entire known universe must hang in the balance. But Sound of Freedom reminds us that sometimes, saving one little girl is enough. 

I’m Bethel McGrew.

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