Sovereign (2025)

I gave it an 8/10, and I do think it's a compelling and interesting film. I'd go so far as to say it's one of the best indie films of 2025 so far. But holy moly is it hard to watch. Watching the treatment of the teenage character by his father should give anyone with a pulse a strong sense of discomfort, and it's not out of line to say that much of what we see her is abusive, even as the teenager takes clandestine steps to disentangle himself from his father's web and pursue a more normal adolescence. This isn't something you want to watch on a beautiful, sunny day as it might just ruin your day, but it's worth your time.