Hinsdale Politician's Film Review Criticized

HINSDALE, IL – A DuPage County Board member from Hinsdale endorsed a movie that opened in theaters on the Fourth of July.

Republican Kari Galassi's Facebook post about the film drew criticism and support.

The movie, "Sound of Freedom," is based on a true story about a Homeland Security agent who pursues child traffickers.

According to the Rotten Tomatoes website, more than 75 percent of professional movie reviewers gave the film positive reviews.

So did Galassi, who was elected as a District 3 member last year.

"Sound of Freedom. A must-see for everyone," Galassi wrote on Facebook. "God's children are not for sale."

Critics said it was a partisan piece with connections to QAnon, a movement that alleges liberal politicians and Hollywood elites are responsible for the sexual abuse and abduction of children.

In an interview, Galassi said the movie was an eye-opener about sex trafficking. She said she is reaching out to area groups such as Reclaim 13 that are addressing the problem.

"I think it's a heinous situation we're dealing with, given the amount of sex trafficking in the world," said Galassi, whose district includes Darien and Burr Ridge. "It's frustrating that anyone would argue this point."

On Facebook, she wrote to critics, "I think if you actually saw the movie, you would see my point. There is nothing political about it. Sex trafficking should not be political and should be exposed."

The star of the movie, Jim Caviezel, is accused of having QAnon sympathies.

At a 2021 conference, he spoke about the "adrenochroming" of children. Adrenochrome is a chemical compound in the human body that QAnon adherents say sex traffickers want to extract from children for satanic rituals.

"Essentially, you have adrenaline in your body," Caviezel said. "When you are scared, you produce the adrenaline... If a child knows he's going to die, his body will secrete this adrenaline and they have a lot of terms that they use. But it's the worst horror I've seen."

In the interview, Galassi said she didn't know much about QAnon. But she said based on what she has heard, it's a "very negative organization."

"I would never support an organization like that," Galassi said.

She said she doesn't agree with everyone who acts in movies she likes. Just because people watch the "Top Gun" movies, she said, doesn't mean they support Tom Cruise's religion, the Church of Scientology.

The Facebook exchanges were on the "D86 Straight Talk" page, a private group with 1,600 members.