Sovereign

Christian Swegal's directorial debut is truly encouraging, delivering a highly political thriller based on a true story about "Sovereign Citizens." A raw, intelligent, and highly political thriller that won't be to everyone's taste, but is well worth a chance.

The film solidifies its cast, especially Nick Offerman, who delves into his dramatic side in a highly developed and masterfully performed role. A character study that takes us on a journey through an extremist capable of dominating everything around him. We also find Jacob Tremblay, who reconnects with all the dazzling talent he gave us in The Room, and here he once again sustains a film with his sheer acting and stage talent.

The work also involves supporting actors such as Dennis Quaid, Thomas Mann, and Martha Plimpton, who do not lose the interpretive power of their two protagonists.

It's a raw, slow-burning thriller. In the first half, we empathize and even understand certain aspects of the protagonist's debate, and in the second half, everything explodes, shattering all that empathy with a heartbreaking climax. Its director and screenwriter invite us to reflect on the extremism of the new right in a compelling film that fits precisely with the current global times.

This intense thriller is worth your time. It may not be entirely perfect, but it's daring, thoughtful, and uncomfortable, providing an addictive watch with all its strengths and weaknesses, but establishing one of those films that hopefully won't be forgotten in a rather interesting 2025.

My daughter and I are both attorneys who lecture on the "sovereign citizen" movement. We're also published in this area. This is about as close as you'll get to this one horrible case based on facts. Other sov cits are mostly down on their luck looking to content creators who hold seminars on line or in hotels as seen here. They are found in 11 countries and NONE OF THEIR METHODS HAVE EVER WORKED! No one ever got off at trial, got paid by their "secret trust", saved their house or car. You need a license, registration & insurance & no, you're not "traveling" in "the private". Don't get taken in by it.

I saw this movie in theaters with a group of friends, all of us born and raised here in the Midwest. Afterwards the mood was pretty somber because everyone in the group recognized scenes from their own family upbringing. The kid sitting in the backseat listening to Dad rant about the government, cops being trained to immediately rely on overwhelming force, all of it building a system that pushes normal people into potentially violent situations over and over again until eventually somebody pulls a trigger. If you grew up in a working last neighborhood, I can guarantee you're gonna recognize some family members in these characters and chances are that you'll sympathize with each of the main characters. It's a great movie, but it's not a fun movie to watch.

While it's script could improve regarding it's structure and pacing, it's a slow-burn yet good exploration character study about the individuals who are anti-government "sovereign citizens" filled with a strong emotional and tenseful atmosphere, good direction, and two great performances from Nick Offerman and Jacob Trembaly.

What director Christian Swegal does well is that capturing the essence of what sovereign citizens are like, capturing their selfish and controversial beliefs without feeling forced or messy. The direction on the tone, the writing and what the purposes for the characters and choices were realistic and tense. Including great themes about the poison settings of indoctrination amongst people and how it can cause an affect on society. Alongside with the good camerawork and soundtrack, as mentioned, Offerman and Trembaly provides great performances to their chilling and uneasy characters, allowing them to have some great dialogue moments and tension between the topics of father and son.

Regarding it's faults, the emotional layer on certain elements and some writing moments did feel a bit short. As if there were patterns and decisions that could have been a bit better. But overall, it's strong debut direction and atmosphere showcases the extremist and unfortunate relevance of today's society in the United States.

Sovereign (2025) is the best movie of the year by far! Based on the real story of the 2010 Arkansas shooting, the directorial debut of Christian Swegal was strong and profound. The entire cast and crew are superb; and the movie left no stone unturned.

Sure, this movie might not be for everyone. It is heavy, heartbreaking, terrifying at times, and it will leave you in the inevitable state of doom. There are some hopeful things that happened in the movie, but as you continue to watch, deep inside you know that hopefulness is in borrowed time.

Nick Offerman set the bar, but Jacob Tremblay played it equally scene by scene. Nick disappeared in the role while Jacob, once again, gut punched the audience; and this time with an even more heart wrenching performance.

As usual with Jacob, he never overacts in his roles; he always performs the most believable way in the most exceptional way possible. His eyes speak louder in silent scenes, while his screams slam you with the right amount of pressure - indeed an amazing performance! Jacob makes you understand Joe's confusion, worry, and pain - and it sticks to you like a symbiote.

Sovereign (2025) is an even heavier movie compared to Room (2015). This is not taking anything away from Tremblay's 2015 breakout role; but as Joe, he set his new bar up high. Certified reviewers even dub Jacob Tremblay as the MVP of the Sovereign cast, and it's all the while praising each and every one as well.

It's not premature to say that Sovereign is Jacob Tremblay's best acting performance to date.