Sovereign

A father and son, part of an antigovernment group, engaged in a standoff with a police chief.

That's the last five minutes. The movie is all about the son, a lonely teen homeschooled by his father in the arguments of Posse Comitatus and the like. He yearns for normality, tries to enroll in high school, nurses a crush on a girl, all while his father loses the house to a bank purely because of his fringe theories. This is a well acted (especially by Nick Offernan, who has the most tired eyes in Hollywood), well executed and saddest movie I've seen in years (comparable to Hell or High Water) with a devilish twist.

This movie is gut turning. Most people recognize the sovereign movement from online videos showing citizens being difficult with law enforcement and then being arrested. What I find important about this film, while it is barely touched directly by the films dialogue, is its presentation of mental illness brought on by trauma. Near the end of the film we see a very brief discussion on a tragedy that, if offered up sooner, would have given the viewer a bit more of a grip on Jerry's mindset and why he had taken up the path he chose. While this movie is a slow burn it is also a rather fast spiral of decision making which held my interest till the end.

I think this and other films like it should be given note since it reflects the actions of people in other real life events. Being able to recognize when someone has fallen down the rabbit hole and landed themselves and others into dangerous waters is useful in life and benefits society. We see the young teen, Joe, in this story obviously confused and without true understanding of the peril he is in. We see the theme of growing up thinking life is "normal" when it's far from 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.

Based on true events that occurred in West Memphis back in 2010, Christian Swegal's feature debut that tackles the complicated and confronting world of self-imposed "sovereign citizens" is a well acted and put together piece that doesn't shy away from the horrors of the incident it leads up too and the dangers of the movement it explores.

An uncompromisingly bleak affair, rightfully so when you consider the subject and true events that form the basis of the entire film, Sovereign creates an ever present atmosphere of slow dread and unease all built off its two leads Nick Offerman and Jacob Tremblay (almost unrecognisable now from his Room and Wonder days) who play father and son duo Jerry and Joe Kane.

Living a life of impending bank foreclosures on their property, road tripping around small towns spreading the sovereign message and general disdain for the way in which modern society functions and interacts, the Kane's lifestyle is one built around hatred and misguided senses of importance and the way in which Swegal and his two lead performers capture the Kane's world plays a huge part in why Sovereign becomes the impactful viewing experience it does.

Morphing more and more away from his Parks and Gardens persona that made him a household name around the world, Offerman in particular delivers an arguably career best turn here as the fiercely determined and unflappable Jerry who has shaped and moulded his only child to be a believer of his ideologies and belief systems as he traverses his way around a way of life that he will hold onto no matter the cost.

Bringing the perfect mix of quiet power and determination as well as genuine moments of outbursts and anger, Offerman looms large over the film and Tremblay's understated but perfectly evaluated performance is an impressive one from the child turned adult actor who clearly has what it takes to become one of the rare success stories of staying power in the industry after bursting onto the scene as an 8 year old in Room.

Sovereign may not do anything outstanding or noteworthy from a production standpoint and there are segments throughout the film that don't add great depth or meaning to the overall aim but by tackling a subject that's rarely been looked into on the big screen and by allowing its performers to ply their trade with emotional intelligence and ability, Sovereign is one of the years more memorable indies and a fine starting point for director Christian Swegal.

Final Say -

Culminating in an impactful and shocking final act, Sovereign is an expertly acted character driven drama that shines a light on a worrying movement that has managed to grow in stature in the years following the events depicted in Christian Swegal's feature.

3 1/2 white suits out of 5.