Sentimental Value
After years of absence, acclaimed film director Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård) re-enters his daughters’ lives following their mother’s funeral. But instead of offering emotional support, he presents Nora (Renate Reinsve) with the lead role in his new film. Somewhat indignantly, she declines – only for Gustav to cast Hollywood starlet Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning) in the same role, which is based on his own mother. The decision only deepens the emotional rift.
Humanity is virtually synonymous with creation, and two of its most profound expressions are propagation and artistry. With Sentimental Value, Joachim Trier not only connects the two, but also explores the limits of human communication, framing art as a vessel for all that we cannot begin to articulate. Each scene in Trier’s film is meticulously crafted – a precise slice of an intricately layered cake, offering a whole spectrum of flavour. The cinematography’s intimate framing of the characters is starkly contrasted by harsh cuts to black. Almost theatrically, the division into individual segments jolts the viewer out of becoming too emotionally absorbed – even as the heartfelt characterisations invite exactly that.
In her last collaboration with Trier, Reinsve won Cannes’ Prize for Best Actress, and she has continued to evolve and impress with each performance since. In Sentimental Value, she delivers another luminous interpretation of a deeply nuanced character. Her choices not only emphasise her own strengths, but consistently work to elevate those of her co-stars – particularly Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, for whom the role of Nora’s sister could well be a breakout. Amid the film’s layered melancholy, unexpected notes of humour emerge, offering Skarsgård the chance to display a broader range than his more commercial work in recent years has allowed.
Sentimental Value is a beautifully layered love letter to artistic expression. While its self-referential style may be a treat best appreciated by devoted cinephiles, the emotional complexities of this family’s journey toward healing resonate universally – building, one hopes, a bridge of compassion that transcends the fictional.
Selina Sondermann
Sentimental Value does not have a release date yet.
Read more reviews from our Cannes Film Festival coverage here.
For further information about the event visit the Cannes Film Festival website here.
Watch the clip for Sentimental Value here:
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