Summary
- Director Alejandro Monteverde emphasizes that the political beliefs of some individuals involved in the film should not overshadow the movie itself.
- Monteverde recognizes that the marketing appearances by Tim Ballard and Jim Caviezel may have contributed to the politicization of the film but reiterates that the central issue and story should not be overshadowed.
- Monteverde initially wanted to distance himself from the political divisions surrounding the film but ultimately decided to clarify his motives, emphasizing that audiences should understand the purpose behind Sound of Freedom.
Director Alejandro Monteverde has revealed to MovieWeb how both Tim Ballard and Jim Caviezel’s political beliefs, and the public comments that have been made, affected his sleeper hit, Sound of Freedom. In a recent interview, Monteverde addressed how Sound of Freedom was ‘labeled’ but asserted that this does not reflect on the movie itself.
“I think it was labeled as a result of the personal beliefs of some people that worked on the film, but that has nothing to do with the film.”
Further discussing the politicization of Sound of Freedom — something that occurred due to appearances which took place as part of the marketing for the movie from both Tim Ballard and star Jim Caviezel — the filmmaker hopes that these divisions do not overshadow the central issue or the movie’s story.
“I think what happened is, they were eager to talk about the film, and I feel in the beginning, they were invited to speak in certain venues that automatically, by its nature, politicized the film. I know Tim Ballard. All he cares about is creating awareness and passing legislation and helping people to understand the problem, so they can get funded, to get the U.S. government and the world governments to kind of create support for this.”
Alejandro Monteverde Wanted to Hide Away During Sound of Freedom’s Release
After the political divisions had been drawn, Monteverde reveals that he felt disheartened, and even considered hiding away and not attending any screenings.
“But yes, I wish this division, this political division wasn’t happening, especially on the film. And my first instinct, when I started seeing the labels and the attacks on the film, was to distance myself, and I did that. And I wanted to hide, and I was like, ‘You know what, I’m not gonna go to the screenings. I’m not gonna go to interviews.’”
He continued, declaring that, ultimately, he wanted audiences to understand his motive behind making Sound of Freedom.
“It’s heartbreaking. I’m the author, and that was my conflict. But maybe I should come out and clarify what the motive was. Because it doesn’t matter, at the end of the day, I wrote the script, and I directed the movie, so I’m the author, and people should know what was the motive behind all of it, and then they’re gonna figure it out.”
Directed and co-written by Alejandro Monteverde, and starring Jim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino and Bill Camp, Sound of Freedom follows a former government agent who embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue hundreds of children from sex traffickers operating deep in the Colombian jungle.
Alongside major box office success, the movie has been met relatively well by critics, but the story itself and the reputation of the subject, Tim Ballard, have been creating some controversy, largely regarding how truthful and accurate Ballard’s account is, and whether the ‘pay-it-forward’ promotion has led to over-inflation of ticket sales.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
