Sovereign Son

After the body of his father is found in a tent in Amsterdam, Marcus searches for an identity through a man he never knew. Tracing parallels with a father who lived outside the system, his own unease with authorities and institutions begins to take shape. As that unease deepens, Marcus pulls the film toward himself, drawn to male voices that promise clarity and strength and to a future he believes he can still redirect.

Marcus grew up without a father. One day, he was informed that this man, British-born Stanley, had died alone in a tent in Amsterdam. Intrigued and in search of his own identity, Marcus travels the world gathering traces of Stanley’s complicated past.

Cindy Jansen offers the portrait of a searching human, who is uncertain of his male role in society. His own father, Stanley, abandoned him at birth; now, after learning of Stanley’s years spent living and dying in a tent in Amsterdam, Marcus goes in search of hitherto unknown relatives and siblings around the world, learning about his father’s murky life path. 

Sovereign Son records the tensions between Jansen and her subject. She gives him ample time and room to express himself, and is clearly empathetic toward his problems and longings. At the same time, Marcus is imaginative and influenced by various beliefs; he wants to emerge as a virile hero from this film. But can he, really? Jansen illustrates his fantasies in an ingenious way, through AI-generated clips that are both glossy and creepy.

Trailer

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