Directed by: Joachim Trier
Written by: Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt
Run Time: 2 hours 13 mins
After the vast critical acclaim of The Worst Person in the World (2021) that saw its leading star Renate Reinsve win Best Actress at Cannes and the film itself receive two Oscar nominations, it’s perhaps unsurprising that writer-director Joachim Trier has reunited with the award-winner for his latest film, Sentimental Value. And if early reactions are anything to go by, it looks like they might just have another success on their hands.
When sisters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) are reconnected with their estranged father and famous film director, Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård), after the death of their mother, it’s not long before old family drama starts to uncover itself again. Shortly after her funeral, Gustav reveals plans to make a new semi-autobiographical picture that he wants Nora to star in. However, when she refuses he instead recruits popular American actress, Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning) to fill the role – but as filming begins family tensions fray even further.
Opening with a child’s description of their family home, the house that much of the film takes place in, feels like an appropriate way to start. After all, Sentimental Value is a story that spans at least four different generations, each of which having been raised at least in part within these same four walls. Although, with a story spanning so many decades, it could have quickly crumbled under this substantial narrative weight, but Trier and writing partner Eskil Vogt have a remarkable command of their craft, constructing a screenplay that allows for this sizeable family history to unfold with considerable ease.
The same can be said for their impressive and even spread of characters, handled so well that the film feels more like an ensemble piece than a vehicle for any one actor. To many, Stellan Skarsgård will be the most well-known of the group, and his scene-stealing work here is a reminder of just why. Resembling a director, perhaps more of his own time than of the present, he brings much humour to the proceedings. His interactions with press are reminiscent of a Ridley Scott-like lack of tolerance for ignorant lines of questioning, while his age-inappropriate birthday gifts for his grandson make him all the more charming. Yet his particularities in his filmmaking showcase a depth of creativity and care too – one that quietly communicates his feelings for his family.
Much like Shakespeare’s expression of grief in Chloé Zhao’s fellow awards contender Hamnet (2025), through Gustav’s talent, Trier’s film capably shows the function of art in restoring relationship when the route to reconciliation seems otherwise unnavigable. Something that Elle Fanning’s ambitious Rachel Kemp quickly learns the importance of as she throws herself into Gustav’s film. The young actor’s initial naivety is somewhat amusing, however Trier is decidedly kind in his portrayal of the character, affording her an eventual enlightenment that counteracts any of her inexperience. Fanning plays Rachel with an earnestness that too ensures she is more than just an object of fun or mockery.
Although while Rachel wrestles with her role, Nora is already starring in another on stage, but experiencing intense pre-show anxiety alongside it. This isn’t new for Nora but it’s become more heightened with the reappearance of her father, subsequently provoking an emotional self-reflection, one that Renate Reinsve portrays with much prowess. Her blunt disdain for her father cuts through family gatherings, but ultimately acts as a barrier, protecting her from the deeper hurt she’s feeling behind this abrasiveness. As her sister Agnes, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas is more forgiving, and it’s in this delicate space between her sister and her father where she operates as mediator. Offering emotive performances of such differing perspective, both together and apart, Reinsve and Lilleaas beautifully embody the sensitive and complicated nuances that only family can produce.
Naturally, the film’s title proves apt. Trier exercises keen restraint though, always keeping the tone on the right side of his valuable sentimentality, never veering into overly mawkish territory or becoming cloying. Conveyed wonderfully by its accomplished ensemble, Sentimental Value gently, and hopefully suggests, that even our most deeply entrenched and complicated family dynamics, perhaps, don’t have to be forever.
Star Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
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