One night in late September, a movie theater in Florianópolis, in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, was packed with military police. Dressed in their uniforms, the officers were taking part in an extracurricular activity as part of their training — a necessary task before they start working on the streets.
That activity was watching Sound of Freedom, a Christian film about child trafficking that preaches right-wing ideology.
The movie has topped the Brazilian box office for the past two weeks after being embraced by conservatives. And it’s a hit around the world. It is the second-highest-grossing independent production in history, second only to the Oscar-winning Parasite.
Donald Trump and Elon Musk were poster boys for the movie. In Brazil, two sons of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro attended the premiere, and conservative politicians such as Senator Damares Alves called on Christians to fill theaters.
More than 1 million tickets have already been sold in Brazil. However, it is not known how many people actually decided to leave their homes and go to the theater, as there is an unprecedented ticket distribution campaign.
Some were purchased by Christian organizations and police associations, such as the one in Florianópolis. Another part was distributed for free by the production company Brasil Paralelo, a notorious promoter of right-wing conspiracy theories. Viewers are also encouraged to access a QR code at the end of the film and buy tickets to give to others.
It’s a veritable pyramid scheme to make a blockbuster, even though it is low-budget and panned by critics. Worst of all, many people involved in its production have been accused of harassment and even child abuse.
But Sound of Freedom became a cultural phenomenon that managed to burst the...
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