"Oppenheimer" and "Sound of Freedom": The Horror of Reality in Beautiful Cinema

Big productions have returned to cinemas after a decline caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to electronic platforms and major streaming companies. The introduction of modern technologies and reliance on computer-generated visual effects have contributed, in a way, to the disappearance of the flavor we enjoyed in films before the digital era. There is no need to mention some works that represent the icons of the seventh art, such as *The Godfather* and many others. One of the features of director Christopher Nolan is that he remains "classical" in this field, as he prefers to rely on decor and build the cinematic environment for film scenes rather than using graphics. Beautiful cinema reflects the ugly reality, and here we are not talking about his specific philosophy of directing, but rather addressing a matter related to cinema and us as humans, and this "dual relationship" and what it embodies from various human ideas on all levels, intellectual, psychological, and ideological. In his latest film *Oppenheimer*, Nolan presents us with an artistic work based on a true story that occurred nearly eighty years ago and whose effects remain with us today. This scientific discovery that destroyed the world or prevented it—this question that Oppenheimer could not answer, neither in reality nor in the film. What a paradox; beautiful cinema is that which reflects ugly reality. Aesthetically, we witnessed a film containing all the elements of "suspense" and visual amazement, whether in terms of the dramatic context and the atmosphere accompanying it through black-and-white scenes or those imbued with the complexities of physics or the nuances of human relationships in all their manifestations alongside psychological disturbances. It is a film from the time of the Great War, this ugly reality, without displaying its scenes, for they are alive in each of our minds; Hiroshima and Nagasaki are twin names of the most horrific atrocities of war under the pretext of establishing peace. Christopher Nolan undoubtedly secured a place at the top of the Oscar awards list. But hold on, we are not writing about the film from a technical standpoint, but to point out a horrific war occurring every day that is not reported in the news: human trafficking, another horrific war, and the most dreadful aspect being those children who are abducted for exploitation in sex trafficking and other forms. Just the thought of it is so horrific that our minds try to escape from it, akin to the cruelty of an atomic bomb. This is what actor Jim Caviezel pointed out, playing "Tim Ballard" in the film *Sound of Freedom* directed by Alejandro Monteverde, which is also based on a true story about the life of officer Ballard in confronting child trafficking networks and their sexual exploitation. This trade has become more financially lucrative than arms trading worldwide. The story is as brutal as the actions of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs—how can a sane person do all this to the innocent, embodying the image of God on earth, as stated in one dialogue, "God’s children are not for sale"? In another dialogue, the film's hero Jim Caviezel states that the reality of what is happening is so harsh that people avoid talking about or discussing it, which is also true. Jim Caviezel delivered a remarkable performance that surely must see him alongside Nolan on the Dolby stage in Hollywood during the Oscars. Once again, a brilliant cinematic work for a horrific reality that we refuse to think about or discuss. *Sound of Freedom* is a film that you cannot help but be glued to in your seat while watching it, with hundreds of ideas passing through your mind. It has done its job and led us into a realm of organized crime that surpasses all imagination. While people were engrossed in *Oppenheimer* and *Barbie*, *Sound of Freedom* was completed five years ago (2018), prepared to shake our human and humanitarian core, and was not released for reasons related to production companies believing that the story was too hard for viewers to handle. Until it entered theaters this year, by the end of its first weekend, it had shattered viewing records. *Sound of Freedom* is the film of the year and the five years it waited on the shelf of the production company. To return to the beginning, big production is not just about visual and audio effects and costumes, but about stories that restore our rational thinking towards issues that touch our human essence, rather than rapid consumption stories. Jim Caviezel, who excelled in *The Passion of the Christ* in 2004, states that his role in portraying the story of officer Tim Ballard is the most important role he has performed since the role of Christ. A report issued by the United Nations indicates that twenty percent of human trafficking victims are children, and in other areas, especially in some African countries, that percentage can reach one hundred percent, with some governments still in denial about this reality. A horrific reality embodied by *Sound of Freedom* to break this state of denial and raise awareness about a trade that has become more profitable than arms trading worldwide. It is the "trade of modern slavery."