Sound of Freedom

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This is the first post since I took some time off from this blog on July 2.  It has been an active vacation, and I will catch up in coming days.

But this first post is to recommend a powerful film we saw on spur of the moment last evening.

It’s Sound of Freedom, 2023, in theaters now, nationwide.  Details for your area at the link.

A friend, 90, who walks at the same place I do, is the one who told me we should see the film.  We took her recommendation; we’re glad we did.

There was a showing at 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday, and I remarked we’d probably be the only people in the theatre – but it was nearly full, and everyone was completely attentive till after the final credits.  The film is over two hours.

There is endless food for thought throughout the film, and when you go, stay through the credits and for the few minutes post- movie commentary by the lead actor.  It’s not a waste of time.

I understand the film was ready for screening in 2018, but was held back till now.  I haven’t followed up on this, but will.  I have my own theories.  Perhaps I will comment some weeks from now.

Again, see Sound of Freedom.

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POSTNOTE: Another new film we saw was En Avant, L’Etoile du Nord Ou La Joie De “Vie”.  We were at the premiere of this 60 minute film on July 15.  There appeared to be  a full house, and the film was enthusiastically received.  It was part of the Lumieres Francaise Film Festival, part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Film Festival.

I found this film to be very excellent, but I defer comment for now, since I do not have information on followup showings of the film, which undoubted will occur.  When I know of new showings I will let you know.  The film was excellently and expertly presented by producer/director Christine Loys.

Stay tuned, particularly if you are, or know of, people of French heritage in the midwest.

COMMENTS: 

from Dick: You’ll note above my comment “I have my own theories…comment some weeks from now.”  I guess you need to trust that these theories won’t change because of the below – but I’ll stick by my own thoughts, and remember, I saw the entire film from beginning to end.

from Jeff: The movie and it’s star and promoters have been linked to Qanon fyi. alot of advocates who fight against sex and human trafficking have been critical of it.   most experts say the vast majority of victims know their enslavors/sellers/abductors.   I haven’t seen it yet, but my far right friends(not you hahaha) gush about it which makes me wary….maybe you haven’t read about it, but it is a bit of a controversial thing in some circles.

Less controversial,  and a movie I highly recommend, on Hulu now, “The Quiet Girl”, which was nominated for best foreign film, it is in the Irish Gaelic language.    it isn’t riveting and you have to appreciate slow moving development, but it is in a sense a good companion to Sound of Freedom, as it is about parental love and the right of a child to be loved and cared for.  it hints at potential child abuse as well.  It is a beautiful film of loss and love and family.


from Arthur:  I’m glad you had a good vacation

Caution Dick please don’t get fooled by a propaganda movie

from Juel: We saw the movie yesterday.It was very well done.  Most thought provoking. I was glad that details of the child scenes were excluded. Of course, we all have imaginations. It saddens me to know that the US is the number one child trafficking country.

from Georgine: Public radio did a program this morning about Sounds of Freedom.  Talked about the main character/person is a Qanon person that believes that children are being kidnapped so the elite can eat them.  They did not mention this in the film.  Cautioned that part of the movie is factual, some is not.  I believe it was on morning edition this morning.  What a weird world we live in.

from Dick: additional comment to the four above: I’m going to do my damndest to stick with the theory I started with.  But you have to stay tuned.  Thanks for the conversation.


from Terry:

Thanks, Dick.  Interesting recommendation.  I’m content to read about it and give my money to other filmmakers.
 
Slate’s article, “How Sound of Freedom Misrepresents its Subject–and Why the Movie Is So Seductive” explains how the film is propaganda, its connections to the far right and how sex trafficking has become a hot issue for evangelicals.   Trump, Steve Bannon, Glenn Beck, and other right wing figures have been endorsing the film. ‘Ballard’s organization, Operation Underground Railroad, was started in 2013 with funding help from Glenn Beck and Beck’s listeners.’ .

 

The movie’s star has given interviews claiming that children are torturing children to harvest adrenaline from their blood…  The article links the conspiracies they are pushing to Pizzagate where Clinton and John Podesta were part of a child sex trafficking ring.  The Slate article is too long to summarize here but it’s worth reading.  It is fascinating (and disturbing) to see how propaganda films can have an impact.
There are other articles in The Guardian, NPR, the BBC that question the accuracy of the film and look at its connections to QAnon.  Last night Trump held a showing at Mar-a-lago with the star, Kari Lake, and neo-Nazi Jack Posobiec.

Also, here and here.

“Anti-trafficking groups have already said that QAnon hinders their efforts, and the film revolves around the baseless panic that vast trafficking rings are waiting to snatch up American kids,” says Mike Rothschild, an expert on QAnon and author of The Storm is Upon Us. “Trafficking is real but films like this obscure the real issue.”  Here.

from Dick, July 28, 2023:  I actually find it useful to ‘kick up some dust’ when discussing issues like this.  As noted above, I said I’d respond later, and this is the response, for good or ill!

I attended this film because a friend, 90, highly recommended it.  I really knew nothing about it beforehand.

It is, first of all, a film, which like all films and books and other expositions of all kinds present a story with a point of view.   This one was particularly gripping for me because of personal circumstances, most of which I will not relate in this space.  Suffice to say, actually experiencing something is more important than just reading about it.  With that I dispense of the most important half of my own story.

I was most interested in learning that Sound of Freedom was an expensive film to make, and was ready for release in 2018, but not actually released until 2023.  There is lots of theorizing about this.  I’m not sure of the real story, and personally I don’t care a lot about that.  Mostly I’m glad the story is being told..

Into the film mix, at least for me, was Pizzagate, a sensational and outrageous and false conspiracy theory in 2016 alleging that Democrats and Hillary Clinton had a sex ring doing human trafficking of children out of a pizza place in D.C.  This was heavily publicized at the time.

Following along shortly thereafter, in 2017, was the infamous Qanon, which is said to have at least some its roots in Pizzagate.

Then comes the personal part, as I say, mostly unstated, but….

In 2017, a woman made my acquaintance at the coffee shop, and was extremely concerned about the prospects of sex-trafficking of children at the Super Bowl, scheduled for Minneapolis in February, 2018.  She had connections with the person/family whose story I will not divulge.  She seemed sincere and even caring. I had seen her from time to time at the coffee shop and  I had her e-mail and what turned out to be her alias.

Fast forward, along came Jan. 6 2021.  and this very woman was front page news at least once, and at least three other times subsequent, in the protests allied with Jan. 6 in D.C.  She was indeed a spokesperson for the group..

In addition, my search found a 5th article with her name in 2017.

I have not seen or heard from the woman since the contacts in 2017.  She was such a prominent and public player in the 2021 protests that my guess is that she has been at minimum removed from any visible role, politically.

All of this is simply allegations, I admit; as I also admit you don’t know the rest of the story that I will not tell.  But all in all, it is quite apparent to me that there is a story in the fact that the film was held up from release for several years, and it is likely we will never know for sure, why.

Key for me: the general thrust of the film story makes sense, and in particular the last few minutes after the credits about why the film was made in the first place.

In 2017, I know I was played for a fool.  The party unidentified  in this writing is now in her 20s, and by no means out of her woods, yet.

I continue to recommend seeing this film.