Sovereign Parent Guide

When I’m not reviewing movies or otherwise having fun, I work as a lawyer. I know from experience that few things are more exasperating than working with—or against—a non-lawyer representing himself. The reason for that is simple: As Alexander Pope wrote, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”

Sovereign tells the story of a man who personifies that saying: Jerry Kane (Nick Offerman), is a widowed Arkansas man raising his teenage son Joe (Jacob Tremblay) alone. Driven by frustration with life and ever-growing resentment of governmental authority, Jerry self-schools himself into just enough knowledge of the law to get it all wrong. Like many in the subculture known as the sovereign citizen movement, he believes he can exempt himself from the authority of the state and from its laws. He also often at least suggests that violence against the government is justified.

Jerry and Joe travel around spreading the false gospel that says a state citizen is not a US citizen, that cars are not “vehicles,” that a person’s name in a contract doesn’t really mean that person, that an individual can take power by declaring common-law jurisdiction, and plenty of other fallacies. The word “gospel” is right, because there’s a churchy air to the seminars in which Jerry says these things. As you can imagine, it doesn’t take long before the two come into conflict with the law, resulting in multiple arrests, a foreclosure, and a lot of other trouble.

The other side of the story is John Bouchart (Dennis Quaid), a police chief who’s also guiding a son in his own ways. Their confrontations become increasingly disastrous, leading to a sad and violent end.

Sovereign is skillfully acted. Nick Offerman, best known for playing a far less frightening anti-government character in TV’s Parks and Recreation, gives a thoroughly convincing portrayal of a man thoroughly convinced of his false beliefs, descending into increasing paranoia. Dennis Quaid plays his foil with equal aplomb. Other roles are naturally less demanding, but there are no weak spots.

Sovereign is a well written film, with a screenplay by Christian Swegal (who also directed) that grabbed my attention immediately and held onto it to the end, never making me question the plausibility of what I was seeing. It’s also a skillfully shot film, with Dustin Lane providing cinematography that won’t distract you because it serves the story so perfectly. The subtle score by James McAlister will help you feel things before you even notice you’re hearing music.

This film is violent, but at no time does the violence descend to gore for entertainment’s sake. The violence is frightening—as it should be—and may be suitable for older teens but not for young children. Sovereign shows how badly wrong things can go when people are angry and swimming in the ocean of misinformation we all know as the internet. We see it every day in real life. I hope you’ll see it in this film. I also hope you won’t take young children along with you.

About author

Donald Bugg

Donald Bugg is an actor, singer, composer, choir director, writer, attorney, and retired military officer living in Utah. He is married to a beautiful Canadian, has six children, and has always loved movies.