Cast: Nick Offerman, Jacob tremblay, Dennis Quaid, Megan Mullally
Written And Directed by: Christian Swegal
Release Year: 2025
Runtime: 100 minutes
Audio description produced By:
Written by:
Narrated By:
What is it?: A widower (Offerman) is a prominent member of the Sovereign citizen movement, and is teaching his son what it means to live that (not legally recognized) lifestyle. As he becomes increasingly stuck in his ways, the world around him continues to reject his ideaology, putting him on a crash course with the law that will not end well for him or his son. Based on a true story.
What Works: Casting Nick Offerman was probably the saving grace for a film that could have felt decidedly average. One of the problems stacked against Sovereign is that it doesn’t do a great job of explaining what this movement is, so if you don’t go in with the knowledge, you either spend the film confused by its fundamentals, and limitations, or you immediately google it after. probably both. It needed a scene where someone explained it for the audience, and I’m not really even a big fan of exposition. So if I’m advocating for it, it’s because it really needed that.
But Offerman rarely gets dramatic roles, especially lead ones. I enjoyed him years ago in an indie called Hearts Beat Loud, where he showed more emotional range than his typical brand of humor allows. He has a lot of potential as a dramatic actor, and sovreign does a nice job of utilizing someone who is mostly seen as a woodsy outdoorsy type anyway, and embracing it.
Jacob Tremblay as the son also has come a long way, and continues to deliver performances that reinforce he should have been nominated for Room years ago. There’s clearly talent here, and it isn’t going away. It wasn’t just one film, the kid has got the chops.
The film builds in intensity, and there’s this gnawing dread, because you know this can’t possibly work out well.If this worked out for everyone, they likely wouldn’t have wanted to make a film. Dennis Quaid has a smaller part as a police officer who crosses paths with Offerman, and it is a solid performance, but Offerman is still the standout. I think this is probably his best, or certainly very close to his best, dramatic work. He brings a lot of intelligence and complexity to a role that could easily be written off as a crazy person. Misguided, sure. Sadly, that lack of guidance ends up being the undoing for more than one individual.
The Audio Description: The track itself is fine, and there are moments of detail that work nicely, as the son has an opportunity to explore a life outside of his father’s Sovereign grasp. Also, the final moments are captured well. I didn’t have any problems with this.
Why You Might Like it: nick Offerman is at his best in a real life thriller.I don’t know why this released in the middle of summer, where no one would notice it, but it is worth the time.
Why You Might Not Like it: I suppose if you misread this, you could see this as a politically minded film. my response to that would be that both Offerman and Quaid are politically outspoken, and are on completely opposite sides of the aisle. I’m not sure how you could sell this as an agenda in today’s political climate.
Final thoughts: Nick Offerman carries Sovereign, a thriller best enjoyed if you actually know what a sovereign citizen stands for, because the film is a little murky on the details.
Fresh: Final Grade: 8.3/10
