The extent of chatter around the Colombian child sex-trafficking thriller Sound of Freedom – a cause celebre of QAnon conspiracy junkies; a US box-office smash dogged by rumours of number fiddling; a platform for star Jim Caviezel’s messianic tendencies – makes it hard to get a clear-eyed look at the film itself. Plus, there’s the fact that negative reviews have acted as a lightning rod for reactionary bile on the internet. But here goes: the picture, by Mexican director Alejandro Monteverde, is an earnest and well-intentioned attempt to engage with a very real and harrowing issue. It’s also a thunderously crass and manipulative movie that is hampered by erratic pacing, pantomime bad guys and an overfondness for shots of Caviezel weeping God-fearing, manly tears.
