As parents, we always want our children to be ready for the world they live in. In Sovereign, we see two fathers who are preparing their children for the world, but with different styles. Jerry Kane (Nick Offerman)​​ is an anti-establishment man teaching his son, Joe (Jacob Tremblay), how to live the life of a sovereign citizen. Opposite Jerry is Police Chief John Bouchart (Dennis Quaid), who is tough on his son, Adam (Thomas Mann), a police officer in the town where they live. While both men want what is best for their sons, sooner or later, their paths will cross. 

Sovereign is based on true events surrounding the 2010 shooting of two West Memphis police officers. The film begins with a 911 call about the downed officers while only showing images of the area. The film transitions to Joe at home when a County Sheriff starts knocking on the door. Their home is at risk of being foreclosed on, and Joe is served papers to give to his father. As Joe hands Jerry the papers, Jerry claims that because he never physically touched the papers or had them handed to him, he has not received any foreclosure notices. Jerry teaches others in a seminar how to live this lifestyle, but it doesn’t make sense to Joe.

Throughout the movie, we see incidents like this where Jerry pulls out documents that state what he can and can not do. When pulled over, Jerry claims that he is not driving but commuting, which is not the same as driving and should not be pulled over. While this type of language makes sense to Jerry, it does not apply to the rules set forth by the government. There are plenty of moments when you are scratching your head, thinking, “How far down the hole has Jerry gone?”

Because Jerry does not want Joe to be in the “system,” he has homeschooled him. Every night, he asks Joe if he completed his work and repeats that going to school is a contract with the government, and he does not want that for Joe. Joe wants a normal life and believes that attending school will help him achieve it. At home, Joe looks at images from other students online and wishes he could talk to them. Seeing Joe’s pain and confusion about his father’s rules makes you feel sympathy for this kid who is stuck in this lifestyle. 

As the film progresses, it slowly builds tension, and you wonder what the breaking point is for Jerry. At the same time, Police Chief John Bouchart’s story parallels what is happening with Jerry and Joe. As the events lead to the shoot-out, you start to wonder what Joe is going to do to try to live his own life away from Jerry. The climax of the movie is not only riveting but also intense to see how one man’s views of the world can cloud his way of life.  

Final Thoughts: Sovereign is a compelling examination of the lives of “Sovereign Citizens” and their unique perspective on reality. Nick Offerman is intense, while Jacob Tremblay grounds the film with his desire to live a normal life. The tension builds between Tremblay and Offerman throughout the movie until the final frame. Sovereign will cause conversations and is a relevant film for our time. 

Violence: The film’s final moments show the shoot-out in a department store parking lot. Jerry’s character does swear a lot, and there is a moment between him and Joe that is scary and heartbreaking at the same time. 

Kid-Friendly: The story of Joe feeling like an outcast might be relatable to some kids. However, there are moments between Joe and Jerry that are intense and border on abusive.

Inspired by true events, SOVEREIGN is a tense and provocative true crime thriller about a father and his teenage son — Jerry and Joseph Kane (Nick Offerman and Jacob Tremblay) — who follow the Sovereign Citizen belief system, a deeply anti-establishment worldview rooted in distrust of government authority. As the pair travel across the country delivering self-taught legal seminars and pushing back against systems they believe have failed them, their journey brings them into conflict with Police Chief Jim Bouchart (Dennis Quaid), setting off a tragic chain of events that forces a reckoning with power, principle, and the limits of freedom.