Film Review – Sentimental Value (2025)

      Sentimental Value, 2025.

      Directed by Joachim Trier.

      Featuring Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Elle Fanning, Cory Michael Smith, Catherine Cohen, Pia Borgli, Jonas Jacobsen, Anders Danielsen Lie, Jesper Christensen, Lena Endre, Andreas Stoltenberg Granerud, Øyvind Hesjedal Loven, Lars Väringer, Ida Marianne Vassbotn Klasson, Vilde Søyland, Mari Strand Ferstad, Julia Küster, Haakon Norum Albech, Bente Børsum, Lazare Gousseau, Kirsten Kvalø, Gard Løkke, Alix Poisson, and Erling Eggen.

      SYNOPSIS:

      Sisters Nora and Agnes reconnect with their estranged father, Gustav, a once-famous director who proposes a role for Nora in what he envisions as his comeback film. When she declines, she learns he has offered her role to a young Hollywood actress eager for the opportunity.

      The film delves into heartrending family dynamics—not just the fractured relationship between the father and his adult daughters, but also the fact that he is a fictional filmmaker whose career overshadowed his personal life. In Sentimental Value, co-written and directed by Joachim Trier alongside Eskil Vogt, there is a broader narrative exploring the memories tied to a home across different generations.

      As a child, Nora wrote a school essay detailing the history of her childhood home, which has experienced a range of emotions from tragic loss to joyous celebrations and familial conflicts. This history is narrated in a dry manner, complemented by montage and stark, impactful shots from cinematographer Kasper Tuxen that allow the atmosphere of each room and object to resonate deeply.

      Now an adult, Nora (played by Renate Reinsve, who previously collaborated with Trier on The Worst Person in the World) shares some of this familial knowledge with her nephew Erik (Øyvind Hesjedal Loven). This includes details like a stove that once acted as a means to overhear arguments below. The film cleverly highlights how the home itself becomes a character, as its history is revisited multiple times after the opening sequence.

      Currently, Nora struggles with stage fright as an actress; her anxiety is so severe that she relies on her friend and stagehand Jakob (played by regular Trier collaborator Anders Danielsen Lie) to give her a smack for courage before facing an audience. Nora openly acknowledges her mental challenges.

      Much of her emotional turmoil is linked to her father, Gustav Borg (a deeply vulnerable Stellan Skarsgård), who, filled with regret, hopes to mend their relationship after abandoning her and her mother following a failed marriage. Following her recent death and with the house possibly being sold, Gustav returns with a complex agenda: he seeks not only to reconnect with his daughters or preserve the family's memories but also to make a deeply personal film exploring his mother’s depression and eventual suicide, casting Nora in the lead role.

      It's no surprise when Nora declines the offer, prompting Gustav to cast a popular Hollywood actress (played by Elle Fanning) as his mother, hoping she can embody her spirit, pain, and beauty. The actress, while skeptical about the project, is eager for more fulfilling work and is drawn into the lives of Nora and her sister Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), the latter of whom had appeared in one of Gustav's films as a child (the film alludes to the impact of his inability to express emotions outside of cinema).

      A somewhat meta subplot adds complexity to the narrative: the demanding filmmaker seeks to have his project supported by Netflix, which compromises his artistic vision. This element, although humorous, feels overly self-aware and diverges from the core emotional depth surrounding the family's relationships.

      While films featuring wealthy filmmakers and their family issues can sometimes struggle to engage, Joachim Trier wisely focuses on the emotional weight of familial dynamics and the sentimental significance of childhood homes. He appears to use illness as a narrative device to steer his characters’ journeys. Despite this, the execution in this film feels more natural than in his earlier work.

      Gustav also aims to forge a bond with his nephew Erik, adding both sweetness and potential for chaos, highlighted by his hilariously inappropriate DVD selections. Ultimately, he decides Erik should be involved in the film that draws directly from his experiences, asserting that it isn’t about their family. The relationship between Nora and Agnes is equally complicated, shaped by their differing perspectives on their father rooted in their own childhood experiences within a dysfunctional household.

      Renate Reinsve delivers another compelling portrayal of a woman grappling with complexity, but some viewers might be surprised by the ensemble nature of Sentimental Value, splitting focus among her, Gustav, and Agnes. Stellan Skarsgård offers a resonant performance, while Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas delivers a poignant and nuanced portrayal, reminiscent of the work