For years, U.S. politics has been engaged in a battle dominated by post-truth and fanaticism. Since Donald Trump won the elections, the United States has been immersed in a political debate far from calm criticism and closer to extreme positions. And this, of course, has also had an impact on the film industry.
While the most reactionary right-wing in America complains about the “woke drift” —as they call it— that Hollywood is taking by adding all kinds of characters to their movies, from female superheroes to LGBTIQ+ individuals, they are taking their own path in cinema. And there is one film that has brought together this entire political right, symbolizing everything they stand for: Sound of Freedom.
A conspiracy theory that has gone further
Sound of Freedom may have a premise that initially seems unrelated to this political trend. The synopsis is as follows: “After rescuing a child from ruthless traffickers, a federal agent learns that the child’s sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her.”
However, behind this seemingly “innocent” synopsis, there lies an intense political debate in the United States. In recent times, one of the major concerns of the most reactionary factions of the Republican Party is the QAnon conspiracy theory.
This theory claims that there is an alleged plot organized by detractors of Donald Trump and his followers, involved in trafficking children through a vast international pedophilia network. This supposed network implicates many progressive actors in Hollywood and high-ranking officials in the Democratic Party. However, there is no evidence to support these claims, and it appears to be nothing more than a hoax to attack the Democrats.
When Sound of Freedom was filmed in 2018, the QAnon conspiracy theory was at the height of political debate, and its storyline, although based on a true story, bore similarities to these conspiracy theories. This led many to view it as a political artifact. It also didn’t help that the film’s lead actor, Jim Caviezel, has made multiple appearances on Steve Bannon’s podcast —Bannon being a former White House strategist during Donald Trump’s presidency— where he expressed concern about QAnon as if it were a real phenomenon.
At the time, the film generated a lot of controversy. Initially, it was set to be released by Fox, but Disney‘s acquisition of the studio led to it being excluded from their plans. However, the film eventually premiered independently through Angel Studios and has proven to be a great success, not only in theaters but also because many individuals aligned with this political trend have donated thousands of dollars through alternative crowdfunding campaigns to support its distribution in cinemas.
The controversy surrounding Sound of Freedom has reached such heights that even the most fervent supporters have accused the prominent North American theater chain AMC of canceling screenings of the film or stopping it midway. However, Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Theatres, has issued a statement to debunk these claims:
“Unfortunately, conspiracy theorists prevail in the United States. Too much misinformation is being spread. More than ONE MILLION people have seen Sound of Freedom at AMC Theatres, more than any other theater chain on the planet. Yet, people falsely claim otherwise. It’s so strange…”
Angel Studios has also had to address its own fervent supporters to prevent further actions against the theater chains: “We want to make it clear that these rumors are not true. AMC has been a prominent partner, and as a result of the film’s performance and consumer demand, AMC has agreed to add additional screens for Sound of Freedom this weekend.”
The film’s success is indeed remarkable, as it is on the verge of grossing $100 million against a budget of $14 million. It is undoubtedly a clear political tool for a certain faction in the United States. However, it is noteworthy that it has resonated so strongly within the country itself, without even venturing beyond its borders.
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