Their law is their law. That’s what this movie acknowledges.
For those of you who know the story of West Memphis police shootings in 2010, it has a tragic ending. The new independent drama “Sovereign” is placed around that, and the main characters are the main suspects. For those of you who don’t know what happened, I don’t want to spoil much in my review. But if you want to do some research on that tragic day, then it’s your call.
The suspects of what went down are a father and son who are also anti-government extremists identifying themselves as “Sovereign Citizens.” The father Jerry Kane (Nick Offerman) knows the real game inside, while his son Joe (Jacob Tremblay) is a home school student who is poised to go to an actual college. The old man invites his son on a sermon tour, where they both wear white suits like they’re in some kind of a religious group.
Offerman continues to show off his dramatic side, coming on the heels of “Civil War” and his guest appearance on “The Last of Us,” and he delivers with the right intensity in “Sovereign.” And Tremblay, who started off with child roles in movies like “Room” and “Wonder,” is continuing to broaden his horizons as a young actor. And amazingly enough in recent memory, Offerman was the narrator and Tremblay was one of the actors to play the young title character in “The Life of Chuck.”
There’s a lot of things Jerry thinks he’s entitled to, given his citizenship. For example, he thinks he doesn’t need a license to drive (“Is driving a right or a privilege?”) and refuses to pay his home mortgage, even though Joe claims they have the money to do so. But when they get evicted from their home, the father believes it’s a case of mendacity.
Before I knew what sovereign citizens were, I probably would have considered this father to be a Karen, because of how he would make a big deal out of the smallest details. In this case, a person claiming to not need a license to drive would sound like a person complaining about two people talking quietly in a restaurant. But that would be for different reasons.
In fact, when I looked those words up, I came across an example of a license plate that states: “Lawfully No Driver’s License or Insurance Required. Not for Commerce Use-Private Mode of Travel. Peace on Earth. Good Will Towards Men.” Again, I wouldn’t have known about these kind of people, if not for this movie, but I’m glad I caught on to a few things.
Another father-son story in the mix is the chief of police John Bouchart (Dennis Quaid) and his police son Adam (Thomas Mann). The old man tries to make sure his son, who is also a young father, doesn’t indulge his baby and to be prepared on duty. Unfortunately, these two are involved with the two sovereign citizens. These segments aren’t as involving as the other father-son set, but eventually, there’s a pay-off with strong emotions.
I’m not saying this is an easy film to watch, because it isn’t, but the acting is real and provocative. Its dramatization represents these kinds of people in society. How they would react towards the police, the judge, etc. And there are a number of bad choices presented here, based on the beliefs that the main father and son follow.
“Sovereign” was written and directed by Christian Swegal, who was one of the screenwriters for the mediocre “Proud Mary” and has directed two short films: “Stasis” and “Solar.” His feature directorial debut is an impressive one with echos from movies like “A Perfect World” and “Hell or High Water.” I’m talking about the crimes that emerge within and the character development presented between the suspects and law enforcers.
In Select Theaters This Friday
