Sovereign Film Review: Made-Up Rules & Death

Christian Swegal’s Sovereign works as a quietly intense and relevant drama featuring a standout performance by Nick Offerman.

He even goes so far as avoiding the police and the lawyers who visit his house from time to time and try to tell him that it will soon be foreclosed.

Nevertheless, as the plot advances, Sovereign proves to be something more. It intertwines Jerry and Joe’s story with the lives of police captain John Bouchart (a game Dennis Quaid, of The Substance) and his son, Adam (Thomas Mann, of Halloween Kills), who’s training to be part of the force, and is raising a baby with his wife. Initially, these two narrative threads seem to be unrelated, but one then starts getting the sense that Sovereign isn’t the kind of movie to have a happy ending. Something is boiling within Jerry, and the captain and his cop son will definitely have something to do with it. And sure enough, the film ends quite tragically, with both sets of characters finding each other in the worst circumstances possible.

Now, what’s interesting about Sovereign is that it doesn’t necessarily try to demonise Jerry as a human being. Yes, he clearly has psychological problems and his apparent inability to follow rules or respect the law has terrible consequences both on his own life and the life of his son. But at the same time, he seems to actually care about Joe and worries about him, even if the way he shows his paternal love is misguided at best and problematic at worst. For example, he homeschools him, teaching him basic math and language, but also talking to him about the way regular schools and the government supposedly lie to people.

One gets the sense, then, that Jerry believes all of his lies and conspiracy theories, which turns him into a tragic figure instead of a villain. If he eventually turns to violence, it’s because he feels defeated by a system he doesn’t agree with, and that seems to favour corporations and banks instead of regular folk. He is obviously delusional and aggressive, but the fact that his fears and theories are all based on things that actually happen, also turns him into someone worth rooting for. As with any good film, the best thing about Jerry as a protagonist is that he’s neither hero nor villain; he’s not completely crazy, but he’s also neither sane nor responsible. Some of what he says is based on truth, but his actions and reactions are entirely illogical and even contradictory.

Jerry’s lessons, of course, gradually turn his son Joe into a new version of himself. The boy has the same haircut as the father, and even though he seems to have a quieter and shier personality, the fact that he turns out to be the same aggressive and disgruntled figure as Jerry feels inevitable. The tragic aspect of it all, though, is that there was hope for Joe. He tries (and fails) to apply to a regular school, and seems to have a crush on a neighbour; a normal, down-to-Earth girl with whom he never manages to talk or even interact in some way. He’s an average kid whose potentially normal life is ruined by a father who refuses to be part of society.

What about the cops, though? Most of Sovereign’s potency lies within Jerry and Joe’s story, which means John and Adam’s problems ultimately feel somewhat undercooked. Dennis Quaid delivers an understated and credible performance as the former, and Thomas Mann attempts to stand out as the latter, but neither is given enough material to make their roles more substantial. Nevertheless, it’s during Sovereign’s third act that their presence is justified, turning the film’s inevitable conclusion into a really emotional tragedy. It helps that death is presented by Swegal quite matter-of-factly: it happens quickly and abruptly, and not as something heroic or melodramatic.

If there’s something that might not sit right with some viewers, it’s the film’s apparent apoliticalness. The fact that it interweaves the stories of criminals and cops does feel like a conscious, political decision, but the emotional ending, curiously enough, leaves the viewer with few answers. Is Sovereign saying that both stories are equally tragic? I don’t think so, but it wouldn’t surprise me if some audiences interpreted it that way. The fact that the movie shows a psychotic person buying ammo and guns without a care in the world, or police officers learning how to apply excessive force to arrest people, is enough for this critic. But I would understand if some viewers felt that the ending muddles the waters, instead of making the film’s message clear.

Nevertheless, Sovereign’s emotional power and narrative complexity compensate for most of its flaws. Additionally, it serves as a showcase for Nick Offerman’s considerable talents. The Parks and Recreation actor turns Jerry into a somewhat understandable and tragic figure. He’s not necessarily a monster, but the product of a society that makes people feel helpless and tired. Jacob Tremblay is also good, and Swegal directs the film with intensity, managing to create a sense of dread that keeps growing until it climaxes in violent and bloody fashion. Sovereign might have benefited from a clearer political stance and a slightly different ending, but it’s still worth watching as a potent and well-crafted drama. 

Sovereign will be released in US theatres, on digital and on demand on July 11, 2025.