Cristal Aparico as Rocío Aguilar in a scene from "Sound of Freedom." Photo courtesy of Angel Studios.
The adults have entered the chat. Before Summer 2023 takes the plunge that is next week's simultaneous releases of Greta Gerwig's “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan's “Oppenheimer” (or, as Film Twitter has dubbed this two-pronged pop culture event, “Barbenheimer”), it behooves me to single out two examples of counterprogramming aimed squarely at grown-ups (but that teens can watch as well).
One of them comes shrouded in controversy and is propelled by word-of-mouth momentum. The other is quietly riding a wave of plaudits and has found a modest audience as well as holdover business in the local arthouse circuit. Are they worth discovering? Let's take a closer look.
Left, Jim Caviezel as Tim Ballard in a scene from "Sound of Freedom." Right, Lucas Avila as Miguel Aguilar and Jim Caviezel as Tim Ballard in a scene from "Sound of Freedom." )Photos courtesy of Angel Studios)
“Sound of Freedom”: When it comes to faith-based entertainment and the companies behind content tailor-made for the churchgoing crowd, there is what can be described as a truce between these films and this reviewer. I, a lapsed United Methodist, keep my distance, and in turn, these filmmakers aiming to have their target audiences' firmly held beliefs affirmed are free to overperform at the box office all they want, undisturbed by a grumpy critic who'd likely point out these movies just don't work for non-devout viewers.
Once in a while, however, a movie comes along that extends its hand across the aisle and finds crossover success. “Sound of Freedom” outgrossed “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” in North America on the Fourth of July and continues to hold its own against the season's big guns. It's a David-and-Goliath outcome for a film with behind-the-scenes drama that's arguably more arresting than what transpires on screen, but let's focus for a moment on the tale it's telling, one that's “based on a true story,” as it proclaims in big bold letters.
Cristal Aparico as Rocio Aguilar in a scene from "Sound of Freedom." (Photo courtesy of Angel Studios)
Child trafficking, director Alejandro Monteverde argues, is a scourge that's been sorely underreported and a much bigger industry than one would think. But a U.S. government agent chose to do something about it, going to great lengths to rescue a brother and sister who were abducted in Honduras. In other words, here are the building blocks for a gripping thriller with a ripped-from-the-headlines urgency.
All's well and good, until you realize the aforementioned agent, Tim Ballard, is played by Jim Caviezel. Uh oh. Caviezel is a fine actor with boy-next-door good looks who has never concealed his conservative leanings. He nevertheless became an A-lister, sharing the screen with the likes of Sean Penn (“The Thin Red Line”), Jennifer Lopez (“Angel Eyes”) and Dennis Quaid (“Frequency”). Then came his come to Jesus moment, literally, when he played the Bible's favorite carpenter in Mel Gibson's “The Passion of the Christ.” The movie was a monster global hit, but Caviezel's career never recovered, partly from backlash over the film's sadistic portrayal of the Gospels, partly from his own descent into QAnon paranoia.
Teo Yoo as Hae Sung and Greta Lee as Nora in a scene from "Past Lives." (Photo from A24)
The toxicity is real, but I chose to put my trepidation aside because, well, even now in his 50s (or, in this case, late 40s, since “Sound of Freedom” was shot back in 2018), the camera remains awfully fond of Caviezel. But when it comes to playing Ballard, Caviezel is at once a valuable asset and the film's biggest drawback, mostly due to the creative team's unwillingness to cast its central figure in a critical light.
Ballard worked catching sex offenders for the Department of Homeland Security, and as the film dramatizes, he tricks Ernst (Kris Avedisian), a pedophile with a page boy cut and Harry Potter glasses that was arrested for child porn possession, into giving him details about Miguel Aguilar (Lucas Ávila), a Honduran boy taken by a diabolical recruiter who calls herself “Gisselle” (Yessica Borroto Perryman) under the ruse of a talent competition audition. The ensuing operation to locate Miguel is a success, and the boy is reunited with his father (well played by Jose Zuñiga). But as Miguel tells his rescuer, the boy's sister, Rocío (Cristal Aparicio) was also taken and remains missing. Monteverde uses the scenes between Caviezel and Ávila to capably navigate the sensitive subject matter.
Seung Ah Moon as Young Nora and Seung Min Yim as Young Hae Sung in a scene from "Past Lives." (Photo by Jin Young Kim)
But the rest of “Sound of Freedom” is devoted to Ballard's quest to find Rocío and depict the genesis of the anti-trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad, or O.U.R. It illustrates the film's central problem: that these children's story, which would have been better served by being told from their point of view, increasingly becomes the story of a federal agent who parts way with Uncle Sam to embark on an increasingly dangerous mission. A film that is purportedly a sobering reality check about the youngest victims of modern-day slavery (Dickensian, with pedos!) becomes the story of a God-fearing family man who defies the odds and wades into hostile territory (read: Colombia) to save as many children as he possibly can because, in Ballard's own words, “God's children are not for sale.”
Miguel and Rocío, viewed by those who would take away their innocence as merchandise, are here reduced to stepping stones in Ballard's crusade, and in the process, “Sound of Freedom” veers uncomfortably close to exploitation. Worse than that, it's exploitation laced with piety. It wears its righteousness as a badge of honor, and despite competent production values and a supporting cast that includes Bill Camp as a former cartel accountant who helps Ballard and Mira Sorvino as Ballard's dutiful wife Katherine, righteousness is its downfall.
Ballard's arc also puts “Sound of Freedom” at odds with reporting that claims that much of what happens in the film has been heavily fictionalized. (And it's a story that continues to unfold: Vice reported this week that Ballard and O.U.R. have gone their separate ways, something Ballard has apparently failed to mention during his press tour to promote the film.) But despite the truckload of controversy, it's pretty clear that there was a good movie in here somewhere, and at times, Monteverde reminds you of what could have been. Sadly, he's content to preach the gospel of Tim Ballard. Caviezel's flattering portrayal places Ballard on a pedestal, a messianic figure intent in changing the world for the better, as long as he can take the credit, thus reducing what could have been a potent piece to self-aggrandizing propaganda with its heart in the right place.
Teo Yoo as Hae Sung, Greta Lee as Nora and John Magaro as Arthur in a scene from "Past Lives." (Photo courtesy of A24)
“Past Lives”: A boy and a girl like each other, and then the girl moves away to a strange country on the other side of the world. What happens when the boy and girl, now a man and a woman, find their way back to each other? That's the simple premise behind this delicate drama where the romance is paired with clear-eyed pragmatism and is all the more devastating because of it.
Nora (Greta Lee) discovers that her childhood friend Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) has been trying to look her up for years on social media. But Nora, an aspiring playwright, is living in New York City, whereas Hae Sung, an engineering major, has his own life back in their native South Korea. The tentative and intermittent reconnection that ensues is inspired by writer-director Celine Song's own life. This may be the filmmaker's feature debut, but it has the confidence and wisdom of someone with several movies under her belt.
Rather than pepper the decades-spanning tale with flashbacks showing Nora and Hae Sung as tweens (Seung Ah Moon and Seung Min Yim play Nora and Hae Sung's younger selves, respectively), Song opts for a linear structure, save for a brief present-day opening scene, and that allows her to methodically build dramatic weight and let viewers witness the characters' growth as their lives intersect. It's a decision that pays off handsomely.
Teo Yoo as Hae Sung and Greta Lee as Nora in a scene from "Past Lives." (Photo by Jon Pack)
Roughly the film's second half follows Hae Sung and Nora, now married to fellow writer Arthur (“First Cow's” John Magaro, terrific as usual), after Hae Sung is finally able to fly to the U.S. The scene where the two are reunited is my favorite moment of any movie I've seen this year. Lee's face skillfully conveys the weight of separation and the toll it has taken.
“Past Lives,” which walked off with the Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival: London, is filled with rich, perceptive dialogue. A heart-to-heart between Nora and Arthur as they lie in bed is an astute and insightful dissection of the ebb and flow of a marriage and the insecurities it unearths. The characters also discuss the fate-versus-chance conundrum, as well as the concept of reincarnation and the people who keep crossing paths with us from one lifetime to another. And yet, their musings are offset by healthy skepticism. There are unmistakable Ang Lee vibes here.
But the film's most powerful moments are the ones dominated by a deafening silence, when not a single word is uttered but so much is being expressed. Knowing when not saying anything is more than enough is the mark of a gifted storyteller, and “Past Lives” -- understated, soulful, beautifully textured -- is an exquisite rejoinder to dewy-eyed “what if” wish fulfillment. It celebrates the people who leave an indelible mark, regardless of time and distance. What's truly astonishing is how a film this levelheaded can still break your heart into a million tiny pieces.
“Sound of Freedom” is now playing in wide release, including at Regal South Beach, Silverspot Cinema in downtown Miami, AMC Aventura and Paradigm Cinemas: Gateway in Fort Lauderdale. “Past Lives” is showing for one more week at Coral Gables Art Cinema, Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas in Coconut Grove and AMC Sunset Place.
