An uncomfortable drama inspired by true events, Sovereign is a quiet, muscular outing from first-time feature filmmaker Christian Swegal, featuring a terrifying, layered turn from Nick Offerman at its core that speaks to the actor’s undeniable presence.
Jerry and Joseph Kane were a father-son duo of anti-government extremists; Jerry was a self-proclaimed “sovereign citizen” who believed that the government was illegitimate and he could decide which laws to opt out of. Here, Offerman portrays Jerry in such a visceral manner that it’s all surface-level convenient to paint him in “villainous” strokes, but, although he makes decisions that frustrate and place both he and his son (Jacob Tremblay, fantastic as Joseph) in danger, he’s a loving father first, which makes his actions all the more heartbreaking.
We see Jerry through the eyes of Joseph, and it’s evident how much love and respect he has for his old man. He’s always encouraged to be as free a thinker as Jerry, but it’s also obvious that this “freedom” of thinking needs to align with Jerry’s point of view, and we see across Sovereign‘s 100 minutes the cracks start to show as Joseph can’t help but push back on some of his father’s ideologies. A seeming catalyst for Joseph opening his eyes wider than the view Jerry set for him comes with a knock on the door during the Arkansas, 2010 setting, where the authorities hand him an eviction notice. Jerry is behind on mortgage payments, and even though he later acquires the necessary amount to put himself in the green – we learn he’s something of a minor celebrity in certain circles, sprouting his advice on right-wing radio stations (Offerman’s real-life wife, Megan Mullally, voice cameoing as the station host) and travelling to nearby cities where he charges for seminars on how to avoid mortgage foreclosures – he refuses to pay back out of staunch principle.
Joseph flits between understanding this way of thinking and respecting his father, to being understandably concerned that their home could be taken away. And when Jerry is briefly jailed for a traffic violation (he also refuses to carry a driver’s licence), Joseph receives the most minor moment of breathing room; being housed in a community environment that celebrates the education he wishes to adhere to, Joseph takes note of a world where he’s free from his father’s conspiracies, and it’s one he is enticed to follow. But Swegal’s script, as well as the fact that it’s based on a devastating true story, submits to a certain built-in tragedy that laces Joseph’s story with an inevitability that’ll never allow him to entirely be out from under the thumb of Jerry.
Running parallel to Jerry and Joseph’s story is another patriarchal pairing, with Dennis Quaid and Thomas Mann as a tough police chief and his newly recruited officer son, John and Adam Bouchart, detailing a relationship equally as loving as it is dysfunctional. The metaphorical nature of Swegal’s script takes shape in their scenes predominantly, as we witness the recruits go through brutal training, with the imagery of chokehold practices very much acting as a commentary on Adam and Joseph as two sons emotionally strangled by their father figures. Their narrative takes a while to become necessary to the actions of Jerry and Joseph, but once it does, it’s an explosion of savagery that forever changes their individual courses of action.
As small a film it is, Sovereign projects its voice with a ferocity, further amplified by a dedicated, near-exhausting performance from Offerman. Equally matched with a softer intensity from Tremblay, Sovereign should be absolutely sought out for those who appreciate important, topical storytelling that dares revel in a certain controversial nature.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Sovereign is now available to rent and/or buy digitally.
