Displaying items by tag: Dennis Quaid

SOVEREIGN

US, 2025, 100 minutes, Colour.

Nick Offerman, Jacob Tremblay, Dennis Quaid, Megan Mullaly.

Directed by Christian Schwegel.

A sovereign is a ruling monarch. But, in more recent times, the word sovereign is associated with citizens, and especially with citizens who have no truck with monarchs or with government. They presume on their dignity as human beings and their human autonomy, seeing impositions from authority and the law as something to take a stand against, to fight against.

For Australian audiences, this has been very much an American phenomenon, traces in Australia. However, with events in Victoria in 2025, the stance of a sovereign citizen and his proclamations, some extreme religious convictions, the shooting of two police officers, and his disappearing into mountain country, but its headlines that ensured that everybody became aware of the claims of sovereign citizens.

This topical film opens with Dennis Quaid as a policeman sitting in a car, hearing of the deaths by shooting of two police officers. The scenario then goes into a long parallel story, eventually meeting up again with the officer sitting in his car.

The portrait of the sovereign citizen, Jeff Kane, is effectively portrayed by character actor, Nick Offerman. He is an educated man, knowledge of the law, interpretation of the law from the vantage point of the philosophy of the sovereign citizen, travelling around the American states, holding meetings, often in dingy locations, giving lectures, ordinary citizens with grudges against authority sitting in and feeling supported by him.

And, for this drama, the significant issue is that of his son, Joe, in his mid-to-late 20s, his mother dead, his living at home, home-schooled by his father, absorbing his father’s philosophy of life, and at this stage, invited by his father to travel with him, listening, helping him with the set up for the lectures, hero-worshipping his father and absorbing his philosophy and action. He is played by the Canadian actor, Jacob Tremblay, who made such an impact 10 years earlier in Room and has been seen in such films as Wonder, Toxic Avenger, Life of Chuck.

There are several incidents throughout the film to dramatise the stances taken by sovereign citizens, especially as regards the police, producing documents, roadside searches… But, in the case of the father and son, banks and the foreclosure taking their house. And Jerry Kane has all kinds of vocabulary, legal arguments, a different range of ideas and words to confront the authorities. And, a religious man, very much Christian fundamentalist, he has the higher power justification for his stances.

While this is a convincing portrait of an articulate sovereign citizen, it is also an alarming portrait of the son, the influence, the absorption of the philosophy, and, an enormous shock at the violent consequences of this kind of indoctrination.

Which brings us back to the police officer sitting in the car, his back story, his son, the impact of the violence – the screenplay finally leaving aside the sovereign citizens and concentrating on ordinary citizens in order to jolt audience emotions as well as the challenge to understand this seemingly lawless way of life that uses so much religious and individualistic stances to justify it.

Well-made, well-acted, completed before the US 2024 election – and, becoming even more relevant in 2025 with the MAGA Movement which is not explicitly referred to.

1. The focus of the title? Sovereign citizens? The increasing stances in the United States, around the world, the role of the individual, the law, government, individuality? The film showing dire violent consequences of the confrontation between sovereign citizens and law and government?
2. The middle American setting, homes and foreclosures, on the roads, the halls for the rallies, casinos, Walmart shops, the contrast between the world of the citizens, many poor and in need, and the world of the police enforcement? The musical score?
3. The opening, Joe in his car, the news of deaths? The film offering the background, the return to Joe, veteran police, relationship with his wife, his son Adam and his wife, the birth of the child, supporting his son, Adam and the other police, punching the Kanes, the shooting and deaths? Joe returning to the scene with his wife, grief?
4. The portrait of Jerry and Joe Kane, father and son, the dead mother, finances, the bank and the house and foreclosure? Jerry taking this to heart? Confrontations with bank authorities? The influence on Joe, homeschooled, his age, his interest in taking the exam for school, his father forbidding it?
5. Jerry, his beliefs, the explanations, the role of the law, the role of government, individual rights, various scenes explaining his rights, to drive, documentation…? The scenes of the various rallies, the range of people attending, his speeches, the enthusiasm, the encounter with Leslie, her presence, going to the casino?
6. Joe, a company’s father, hearing his father speeches, helping with the setup, absorbing the attitudes?
7. On the Road, his father’s determination, explanations of his stances, the confrontation with the police, the roadside set up, the interrogation, Jerry and his rights? Joe, his reaction to the police, getting the gun, shooting the police? The fleeing?
8. The consequences of the shooting, going to the shop, getting guns, clothes, the escape?
9. The final confrontation with the police, sovereign stances, the shootout, deaths?
10. The growing assertion of sovereign citizens around the world, motivations, philosophy, religion, self-righteous, growing ruthlessness? (And the influence from the United States, the various groups, Donald Trump and the MAGA movement?)