Dir: Joachim Trier | Norway, Drama 132′ 2025
Sentimental Value is the latest in an impressive body of work from Norwegian director and stars Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, and Trier’s longtime actor collaborator, Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World) in a domestic that tells the story of a Norwegian family in disarray.
The film received a 15-minute standing ovation at its world premiere at the 78th edition of Cannes Film Festival, one of the longest in the recent history of the annual celebration. It ticks all the boxes: a European arthouse feature with wide appeal across the generations and commercial potential, and an American star to garner interest across the Atlantic.
Trier’s sixth film, an upscale drama, unfolds in an beautiful house in the centre of Oslo, and follows a wayward film director Gustav Borg (Skarsgård) and father of two adult daughters, the younger of whom, Agnes, (Ibsdotter Lilleaas) is mother to a nine-year-old son. Reinsve, is a successful actor.
In a bid to heal the rift with Nora, Gustav has a written a script for her but she refuses to be drawn in to his latest project accusing him of being egotistical. So he turns to Rachel Kemp (Fanning) a Hollywood star he meets on the beach in a glorious nighttime sequence. But it all feels wrong.
Trier explores the both sister and father daughter relationships with some relatable insights, and there’s humour too of the wittiest kind in an intelligent script cowritten by Eskil Vogt.
With its focus on the reconciliatory power of art Sentimental Value is an edifying and enjoyable family story that seems set to go to the Oscars, after winning the Grand Prix at Cannes. @MeredithTaylor
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL | GRAND PRIX 2025