Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson character on “Parks & Recreation” mattered on two levels.

His Libertarian screeds countered Leslie Knope’s wide-eyed liberalism. That gave audiences a rare, positive portrayal of a small-government voice.

And, deep down, Ron cared about his friends and co-workers. Deeply.

Now, imagine if Offerman’s GIF machine leaned so far into his anti-government shtick he couldn’t produce a driver’s license during a traffic stop.

That’s where Offerman lands in “Sovereign,” a depressing tale of a true believer at odds with reality. The tragic part? He’s a loving parent to a teen caught up in dad’s mania.

Jerry Kane (Offerman) is a stern father figure trying to raise his son right. That means indoctrinating Joe (an excellent Jacob Tremblay of “Room” fame) into his anti-government mindset. Offerman doesn’t shy away from his character’s extremist views.

It’s the kind of focused turn that makes awards season voters sit upright. And deservedly so.

Jerry makes a nominal living sharing his “sovereign citizen” beliefs. Is it enough to pay his mortgage? He doesn’t care. He insists he doesn’t have to pay anyone for what is rightfully his.

And he’ll spend 20 agonizing minutes explaining why.

That won’t keep the bill collectors at bay or a roof over their heads, but Jerry is always a step or two ahead of his enemies. Or at least he thinks he is.

Meanwhile, Joe looks longingly at his cute neighbor and dreams of attending high school. “Sovereign” is the worst possible advertisement for home schooling.

A secondary story follows a local police chief (Dennis Quaid) welcoming his son (Thomas Mann) onto the force. This father-son connection couldn’t be more different than the main story.

Or is it?

First-time director Christian Swegal leans into Jerry’s fanaticism but refuses to lecture audiences beyond that distorted worldview. Swegal avoids political tells or monologues meant to connect the action – set in the early 2010s – to modern times.

Last year’s Oscar-bait entry “The Order” showed similar restraint until the film’s final seconds.

Martha Plimpton shines as Jerry’s quasi-girlfriend, but the actress needed a bigger presence in the story. We’d also like to learn how Jerry became such a true believer. We learn about his personal pain later in the story, but it hardly explains his fevered approach to the world.

He’s a fully formed monster by the time we first meet him. 

New movie “Sovereign” seeks to humanize the sovereign citizen movement: https://t.co/OaiK3Q13XO

— Dr. Christine Sarteschi, LCSW (@DrSarteschi) June 10, 2025

“Sovereign” opens with events that occur at the end of the film and then circles back to the beginning. We know this story won’t have a rosy finish, but telegraphing it so bluntly is a terrible choice. The film’s “coming of age” component also comes up short.

Filmmakers refuse to tell stories that speak to news ignored by Legacy Media outlets. Imagine movies spun from the “Summer of Love” riots or Antifa, for example.

Inconceivable!

This tale is catnip to Hollywood types. It aligns with their worldview, suggesting fringe players (Qanon! MAGA Gone Wild!) loom large over society. They don’t.

That doesn’t rob “Sovereign” of its haunting power or the tractor pull of Offerman’s performance. He’s a man obsessed and a devoted father all in one.

That duality is more than enough to make “Sovereign” worth a look.

HiT or Miss: “Sovereign” takes Ron Swanson to the woodshed in a harrowing tale of a disturbed dad pushing his son to the edge.