First Look Teaser for ‘Sovereign’ America Thriller with Nick Offerman
by Alex Billington
June 20, 2025
Source: YouTube
“They’re willful creatures. You either gonna break them, or they’re gonna break you.” Briarcliff Ent. has revealed the first look teaser trailer for the film titled Sovereign, an American thriller marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Christian Swegal. It just premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival earlier this month, and will be out to watch in July in just a few more weeks. Inspired by true events, Sovereign is a tense and provocative true crime thriller about a father and his teenage son — Jerry and Joseph Kane — who follow the “Sovereign Citizen” belief system, a deeply anti-establishment worldview rooted in distrust of government authority. Their journey brings them into conflict with Police Chief Jim Bouchart, setting off a tragic chain of events that forces a reckoning with power, principle, and the limits of freedom. Starring Nick Offerman, Jacob Tremblay, Dennis Quaid, Martha Plimpton, Thomas Mann, and Nancy Travis. Reviews from Tribeca say the film is “emotionally gripping & strikingly captured”, a tense look at these kind of American extremists. I definitely do want to see more from this film. Stay tuned for the main trailer soon.
Here’s the first look teaser trailer (+ poster) for Christian Swegal’s film Sovereign, direct from YouTube:
Inspired by true events, this gripping thriller follows Jerry Kane (Nick Offerman), an out-of-work roofer and struggling single father who desperately tries to provide for his home-schooled 15-year-old son, Joe (Jacob Tremblay). Searching for control in an unforgiving world, Jerry embraces the sovereign citizen movement, indoctrinating Joe into believing that laws are mere illusions and freedom must be seized by force. As they travel around the country selling “debt relief seminars” to desperate homeowners, Jerry’s ideology becomes increasingly extreme and his grip on reality deteriorates. Meanwhile, Joe quietly begins to question his father’s worldview, dreaming of a normal life beyond their constant travels. Sovereign is written and directed by newcomer filmmaker Christian Swegal, making his feature directorial debut after a few other short films; he also wrote the screenplay for Proud Mary. It’s produced by Nick Moceri. This just premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival in NYC earlier this month. Briarcliff Ent. will debut Swegal’s Sovereign film in select US theaters + on VOD starting July 11th, 2025 this summer. So who’s interested?