The works of director Joachim Trier are often tied together by their tender explorations of existential emotions, the last of which, The Worst Person in the World, catapulted him into the hipster cinephile consciousness. This closed the chapter on his acclaimed ‘Oslo trilogy’ but his latest feature dabbles in the same thematic territory. Family drama Sentimental Value centres around theatre actor Nora (Renate Reinsve) who’s appearing in a stage production but suffers a severe panic attack backstage. When her mother passes away, she unites in grief with sister Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) and reconnects with her estranged filmmaking father Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård) who wants her to star in his new movie.
As much of the narrative unravels within the confines of Nora’s childhood home, the film imbues an impressive sense of time and place that is enhanced by careful camera compositions; an ambitious sequence in the opening act illustrates their family history in a way in which contextualises the personal piece that auteur Gustav is trying to make, in the hopes of salvaging his dwindling reputation. Far more concerned with protecting his legacy through his work than mending fractured relationships with his daughters, he casts American movie star Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning) in the role of his mother. This of course creates conflict and brilliantly brings the subtlety of his villainy to the forefront as his charm and charisma make way for selfishness and manipulation.
Renate Reinsve is well versed in Joachim Trier’s style having appeared in two of his films already. She is great as Nora and really captures the complex torment she endures. Full of anxiety and sorrow but shaped by the love she has for a father that’s never shown it in return, she portrays the character’s emotions in an understated and rather unsentimental fashion. She shares an excellent scene with Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas which demonstrates the different ways they have been impacted by their father’s neglect. A fish out of water in the story but also within the film itself to a degree, the playful script goes a little meta to get the best from Elle Fanning’s performance – she does a fantastic job and plays against her usual type.
A compelling commentary on father-daughter relationships, the entertainment industry’s nepotism, and the generational trauma that can come with it, Sentimental Value effectively plays in the tragicomic space of the classic plays it references but lacks the existential gut-punch of his previous efforts. That being said, it has a quartet of terrific turns at its core, with Renate Reinsve furthering her fruitful partnership with the director and Stellan Skarsgård delivering his best performance in years as the worst father in the world.
Cinema Perspective 