The winner of the Grand Prix at this year’s Cannes festival, SENTIMENTAL VALUE portrays the myriad repercussions of a once-great filmmaker’s effort to recapture his past glory. A man who’s always prioritized his work, Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård) is long estranged from his daughters Nora (Renate Reinsve), a gifted stage actress, and the more grounded Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), now immersed in family life years after performing in one of her father’s most revered movies. He finds a surprising source of support after a Hollywood star, Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning) discovers his films at a festival retrospective. As preparation for Gustav’s new movie begins with Rachel in the role that Nora had rejected, the uniquely personal nature of his script — based on a tragedy that took place in the house that remains central to the Borgs’ lives — draws the family members together again in ways they could not predict.
As nuanced as it is empathetic, Trier’s screenplay with long-time collaborator Eskil Vogt brings the best out of the formidable duo of Skarsgård and Reinsve. It also elicits comparably exquisite turns by Fanning and from Lilleaas, who deserves the same kind of attention that Reinsve earned for Trier’s 2021 hit THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD.
“Transcendently moving…a layered masterpiece that THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD director Joachim Trier has been working toward for his entire career.” —David Ehrlich, IndieWire “History, memory, expression, art, trauma — they’re all woven through Trier’s breathtaking drama, a movie that recalls Ingmar Bergman more than any he’s made yet but also one that truly cements his status as one of the working masters…. There has rarely been a film in which the family dynamic is more genuinely defined than in this one.” —Brian Tallerico, rogerbert.com “Though SENTIMENTAL VALUE is about the use of art as a tool for communication, it’s not so trite a movie to say that art heals all wounds. But it’s also not a cynical film. Once again, Trier defies convention by finding grace that is so profound it can be walloping.” —Esther Zuckerman, Daily Beast “Truly sublime, Mr. Trier. Sublime.” —Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist
