Pooja Sharma
Venerated director Alejandro Monteverde chronicles an unnerving and decrepit state of events in ‘Sound of Freedom.’ The action film revolves around Tim Ballard, a CIA agent who rescues a boy from barbarous child traffickers. However, upon learning that the young boy’s sister is still held captive, the federal agent soon turns into a vigilante and embarks on a fatal mission to rescue the children held callously captive in the depths of a Colombian jungle.
Weaving a tale of heartwrenching trauma, the movie unravels the harsh realities that exist around us. While the movie offers a poignant reminder of the inexorable elements that co-exist in our society, it also offers hope that there are people who relentlessly try to save such children. Based on a true story, ‘Sound of Freedom’ captures numerous gut-wrenching pivotal themes. So, if you were equally moved by the tale of compassion and trauma, here is a list of movies like ‘Sound of Freedom’ for you to watch.
10. Trade of Innocents (2012)
A riveting tale that bodes grief and crime together, ‘Trade of Innocents’ helmed by Christopher Bessette, follows the story of Claire and Alex, a couple who try to start anew in Cambodia after having lost their daughter a few years ago. However, when the duo realizes that they are at the epicenter of a remarkably dangerous state of events, they decide to take action. When girls in the local neighborhood become subjects to sex slavery, sexual predators, and pimps, Claire and Alex decide to embark on a mission to undo the belligerent hostility that entangles these young women.
Starring Dermot Mulroney, Mira Sorvino, John Billingsley, Trieu Tran, and Thawanrat Tantituvanont, ‘Trade of Innocents’ captures a similar repugnant atmosphere that envelops young women and children into a lifetime of abhorring circumstances. With grief and a visceral duty propelling the protagonists, ‘Trade of Innocents’ offers a number of similar themes as seen in ‘Sound of Freedom.’
9. The Chosen Ones (2015)
The exploitation of power and oppression is explored in this tale of devastating despondency. The story revolves around Sofia, a 14-year-old girl who lives with her mother and younger brother. When she falls in love with Ulise, a young man tasked with seducing Sofia, the unsuspecting 14-year-old is secretly lured into a prostitution ring led by Ulise’s father and brother.
However, the tables turn when Ulise refuses to leave Sofia and is tasked to find another girl who can replace her. The story follows the devious and vicious cycle of abuse and exploitation, showcasing the endless pattern of injustice and crime. Directed by David Pablos, this Mexican drama also envisions the same pernicious state of events that follow from inhumane practices, making this the right movie to watch after ‘Sound of Freedom.’
8. I Am Still Here (2017)
When an innocuous gesture of kindness turns array, the worst follows for Layla. ‘I Am Still Here’ follows the story of a 10-year-old girl who tries to offer help to a stranger. However, tables turn quickly when she is abducted and stolen from her family to be put into a life of sex slavery and child trafficking. Exploring the descent of the dilapidated state of events in the country, ‘I Am Still Here’ showcases how slavery rings are inconspicuously hidden even in the most standard and ordinary neighborhoods.
Like ‘Sound of Freedom,’ this drama is also based on actual events and focuses on the gritty subjects that affect countless young children across the world. Much like ‘Sound of Freedom,’ ‘I Am Still Here’ also features a fight for survival amidst the abhorrent conditions set by predators.
7. Sold (2014)
Yet another story that dives into the wretched state of events that loom menacingly, ‘Sold’ follows the story of Lakshmi, a young girl who hails from a rural village in Nepal. In a feat to rid her mother of insurmountable debt, she decides to head to India after being promised work and opportunity. As she enters the country, she finds that the promises of a better future are futile and that she has been sold into a brothel.
Discovered by a humanitarian photographer, ‘Sold’ follows a similar effort undertaken in order to save young girls and women from sex slavery and prostitution. The cast features Niyar Saikia, Gillian Anderson, David Arquette, and Tillotama Shome. So, if you found the efforts of a rescue interesting in ‘Sound of Freedom,’ then you’ll find ‘Sold’ equally intriguing.
6. Eden (2012)
‘Eden’ follows the story of Jae, an 18-year-old Korean-American who is lured by a man at a bar and sold into human trafficking. Directed by Megan Griffiths, ‘Eden’ dives into the harsh realities of the modern-day white slave trade. The story takes several twists and turns as the young woman tries to comply with her captors in a ploy to survive. Much like ‘Sound of Freedom,’ ‘Eden’ presents a prism into the inescapable bounds of sex slavery and human trafficking. So, if the representation of the defenseless victims in ‘Sound of Freedom’ evoked your curiosity, then you’ll find this story equally invigorating.
5. I Am All Girls (2021)
Like Tim Ballard, this Netflix mystery follows the story of an officer turned vigilante who sets on a mission to nab those who tortured young girls. Yet another movie inspired by true events, the story follows Jodie Snyman, a human-trafficking officer who forms an unlikely bond with a serial killer in order to bring down a global child sex trafficking ring. Just like Tim Ballard’s effort to bring criminals to justice and save young children, ‘I Am All Girls,’ also follows a similar gritty thriller that even focuses on revenge.
4. You Were Never Really Here (2017)
Another tale that prompts a clarion for action, ‘You Were Never Really Here,’ follows the story of an exhausted and traumatized mercenary who gets hired by a politician to rescue his daughter from a human trafficking ring. Starring Joaquin Phoenix as the titular lead, the movie features a similar story of a hero who puts everything on the line to save a young girl. Much like Tim, Joe is also a jaded enforcer who embarks on a journey to retrieve a missing teenager from a life of forced prostitution and sex slavery, making this the right movie to watch next.
3. Trade (2007)
Unfolding the dilapidated lives of three individuals, ‘Trade’ zeroes in on the pervasive devastation of human trafficking. The story follows a Texas cop whose daughter has been abducted and forced into sex slavery, a young Mexican man whose sister is also abducted and sexually trafficked, and a young Ukrainian woman who is lured into the sex trade with the promise of a better life. Featuring Kevin Kline, Cesar Ramos, and Alicja Bachleda, ‘Trade’ by director Marco Kreutzpaintner also features a fight to rescue the defenseless against a grueling practice.
2. Sunrise (2014)
Like Tim Ballard, who is propelled by an innate duty to undertake a dangerous mission, ‘Sunrise’ also follows the anguish of a government agent named Lakshman Joshi. When Joshi’s young daughter goes missing, he finds himself at his wit’s end as he tries to find his daughter and come to terms with the aftermath that would follow if his daughter came into the hands of the violent degenerates of society. Directed by Partho Sen-Gupta, ‘Sunrise’ features the story of a man on a mission to save a young girl from loathsome factions of society, making this the right movie to watch next.
1. Lilya 4-ever (2002)
Loosely based on the harrowing true story of Danguolė Rasalaitė, ‘Lilya 4-ever’ follows the story of Lilja Michailova, a young girl in the former Soviet Union who is abandoned by her mother and left to fend for herself. When the 16-year-old decides to put her faith in the wrong stranger, she becomes an unwilling victim of the sex trade.
Just like the disturbing yet compelling premise of ‘Sound of Freedom,’ ‘Lilya 4-ever’ also follows a profound call for humanity in the face of abrasive and deafening exploitation. So, if you found the dark revelation of tragedy in ‘Sound of Freedom’ interesting, then you’ll find this vivisectional tale of a Russian teenager equally despondent.
Read More: Is Sound of Freedom Based on a True Story?
