Sovereign (2025)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A father and son's radical adherence to the sovereign citizen movement leads to a tragic confrontation with local law enforcement.
The story
In 2010, Jerry Kane, a sovereign citizen who hosts public talks about the movement, lives with his homeschooled son Joe in a house facing foreclosure. After being informed they have 30 days to pay the bank, Jerry is arrested for driving without a license, and Joe is briefly held in a juvenile detention center. Following his release, Joe accompanies his father on a seminar tour across the country. However, tensions rise as they face eviction and Jerry becomes increasingly agitated, eventually leading to a volatile encounter with police officers that results in a violent and tragic outcome for the family.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 2010, Jerry Kane, a sovereign citizen who hosts public talks about the movement, lives with his homeschooled son Joe in a house facing foreclosure. After being informed they have 30 days to pay the bank, Jerry is arrested for driving without a license, and Joe is briefly held in a juvenile detention center. After Joe's release, he joins Jerry on a seminar tour. They eventually face eviction and Jerry becomes increasingly agitated, purchasing more firearms. Meanwhile, police academy graduate Adam Bouchart, son of Police Chief John Bouchart, and his partner pull over the Kanes. Jerry reaches for an assault rifle but leaves it; Joe, panicking, grabs the rifle and opens fire, killing both officers. As a statewide manhunt begins, the Kanes flee to a department store for clothes and ammunition. Joe, horrified, tries to flee from his father, but Jerry stops him. They are eventually surrounded and killed by police. Both pairs of casualties are honored by their respective communities. The film ends with John Bouchart carrying his infant son out to the porch in despair.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Christian Swegal
- Writers
- Christian Swegal · writer
- Cast and characters
- Nick Offerman · Jerry Kane; Jacob Tremblay · Joe Kane; Thomas Mann; Nancy Travis; Martha Plimpton; Dennis Quaid · John Bouchart
- Genres
- biographical; crime; thriller; action; drama
- Themes
- Father-son relationships; Sovereign citizen movement; Ideological radicalization; Consequences of extremism
- Tone and mood
- Serious; Tragic; Tense
- Premise and plot tags
- Based on actual events; Crime; Drama; Action
- Source material / true-story basis
- The events surrounding the 2010 West Memphis police shootings
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised the lead performances of Offerman and Tremblay.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 15
- Awards and nominations
- Independent Spirit Awards · Best Supporting Performance (Tremblay) · 41st · Nominated; Independent Spirit Awards · Best Screenplay · 41st · Nominated
- Production trivia
- Filming took place in Arkansas, specifically in Fayetteville, Lincoln, and Springdale.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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