Movies

Wake Up to the Sound of Freedom

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Image from Christian Broadcasting Network

I’m a bit late to this train so I’ll forego a full synopsis of Sound of Freedom as most know by now what it’s about. Suffice to say, everyone should see this film. Premiering on July 4th as a wake up call to Americans, this movie shed light on the horrors of child trafficking in gritty detail. Most of us have grown up being entertained by action flicks like Taken and quoting lines originally delivered in Liam Neeson’s epic tones. While these kinds of movies may hold us in rapt attention and even elicit strong emotions at various points, Sound of Freedom is an entirely different experience. 

One of the most shocking things about this action thriller is that it isn’t fiction as most are quick to assume before entering the theater. This tale of hellish evils and miraculous rescues is as real as it is unbelievable. The mission of the main character, Tim Ballard who is played by Jim Caviezel, throughout the movie can only be described as a calling from God and one that required no small amount of divine intervention. Tim’s tireless and heartbreaking work has finally brought child trafficking to the world stage for all to see. It’s nearly impossible to imagine how children, the utmost pure and innocent in our lives, could be so cruelly abducted and put to such evil uses but Sound of Freedom makes it possible. Among the stories told in the film, one of Tim’s very first rescue missions was of a boy who was just eight years old, though as we learn throughout the movie, many are sold into this industry much younger than that. 

Even as I write this, I struggle to articulate the effect Sound of Freedom had on me. Of course, while watching in the theater I was overcome with anger and despair with the rest of the audience. However, days later, some of the most horrific scenes still played on repeat in my head and the sad, mistrusting faces of the kids portrayed in the movie often still come into view. My relatively sheltered mind simply could not fathom how such evil could be allowed to exist in the world and I don’t pretend to have found an answer. More than 300,000 kids are trafficked around the world every year and the United States is the industry’s largest consumer. 

As many have already stated in countless reviews of the movie, I don’t have the faintest idea how we solve this problem. Perhaps the first steps are to make ourselves aware of it by watching Sound of Freedom and to pray for the children sold into the living hell of child trafficking and everyone sent by God to rescue them. 

A Baby Catholic’s Movie Review – Nefarious

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Photo by Mathias Reding

I’ve never been one to enjoy a horror flick. All the jump scares, supernatural happenings and excessive gore are decidedly unwelcome on my movie list. My imagination tends to run rampant after viewing scenes like these and suddenly every little creak in my house is cause for alarm. Of course, as a Catholic, I know that this alarm is completely irrational and I’m often comforted by the fact that a priest has visited and blessed our home. However, the imagination is still on occasion a force to be reckoned with. Thus, I religiously steer clear of horror films and was wary of this one despite it coming highly recommended by the hubby who kindly screened it for me first. After a bit of convincing and promises that he would hold my hand the entire time, I did eventually agree to watch Nefarious. 

This psychological thriller was not at all what I was expecting and one that I think everyone, Catholic or otherwise, should make time to see. This is far from the typical bloody Hollywood depiction of demonic possession. The true horror comes in the shocking doses of reality seeded throughout the fictional flick as psychiatrist, Dr. James Martin, interviews a convicted serial killer hours before his scheduled execution. Over the course of this disturbing conversation the devout atheist doctor is forced to confront impossible coincidences which shake his world view. It quickly becomes apparent that the interviewer may in fact be the interviewee. Throughout the exchange, the killer, Edward Wayne Brady, claims to be a demon and works to convince Dr. Martin that he has been brought to the prison by design and will himself have committed three murders before their time together is up. 

Although the majority of the film transpires in a single room over the course of a single conversation, it’s not one that you’ll be able to pause for a popcorn break. Viewers are held on the edge of their seats for the entire hour and 38 minutes as they follow Dr. Martin’s investigation in which he attempts to answer the question, insane or possessed? Viewers are also left to debate the rational atheist’s qualifications to answer such a question which is sure to spark some interesting discussion when the credits start rolling. 

For current believers, this movie serves as a wake up call through its perfectly horrifying illustration of the battle being waged for a single soul. In an interview with Church Militant, the writers and directors, Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon, described the effect their newest film has had on its Catholic audiences when they said that people are leaving the theater and running to confession. While this is a highly engaging and entertaining watch, it also asks and answers many theological questions which might be barriers for non-christian individuals who are considering coming to the faith. At the very least, Nefarious is causing Catholics and atheists alike to think about what it is they believe and why.  

For my own part, I came away from this movie completely overwhelmed with gratitude to God for coming into my life and purifying my soul through baptism when He did. As often mentioned on this blog, I am a convert to Catholicism. Although in my upbringing I would never have gone so far as to deny the existence of a higher power, my entire childhood was spent blissfully ignorant of the peril my unbaptized soul was under. Thankfully, God blessed me with two amazing parents who, despite being born again Catholics themselves, always instilled generally christian values in my sister and I. I believe it was these values which ultimately guided us both to the faith. Through the holy sacraments of initiation and of marriage, I have been blessed with the graces necessary to continue to turn toward God in all facets of my life and I am eternally grateful to Him for that. Nefarious highlights the urgent need for all people to receive the sacraments and be similarly blessed.