“Sentimental Value” is a Norwegian drama that centers around Gustav Borg, a celebrated filmmaker and father figure (Stellan Skarsgård) who has three crucial relationships with his daughters, though only two of them are blood relatives.
Gustav’s daughter Nora (Renate Reinsve) is a professional actress who, in the suspenseful opening sequence, is having a panic attack moments before a stage production begins.
Gustav’s other daughter, Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) is tired of her father’s lifelong tendency to put his work before his family. Then there’s Rachel (Elle Fanning), an American actress who is thrilled to be working with Gustav and doesn’t have the history and heartache that his two daughters carry.
By the film’s end, Rachel is an equally crucial figure in Gustav’s life.
Director/co-writer Joaquim Trier’s film is about the story we’re watching and the film that Gustav is trying to put together. There’s a nice back and forth between the story and the art that inspired it, creating a proper extension of the narrative we’re witnessing.
Trier has made more stylish films than this, but there are individual sequences (like a pivotal beach gathering and the one-on-one confrontations with the daughters) that are splendid.
I preferred Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World” (2021), as it was more inventive and also showcased a fantastic lead turn by Reinsve.
Nevertheless, “Sentimental Value” is such a compassionate and gorgeously performed film that it makes a companion piece with Trier’s prior film. It stands alone as a moving depiction of how art can build a career but ruin a family dynamic.
There’s so much here that is richly explored and deeply compassionate, a family drama that aims to enlighten and, unlike many similar Oscar hopefuls this year, not beat us down with look-at-me acting and shameless histrionics.
The acting is unforced and affecting, to a point I had to remind myself that I was watching actors and not a documentary. No kidding, the performances are so persuasive, it’s easy to lose yourself to the characters when the portrayals are this vivid and nuanced.
The four lead turns are flawless. Reinsve’s performance might just be the best I’ve seen this year, though Lilleaas is also fantastic. There’s something special about the scenes between Fanning and Skarsgård, who is also giving a performance that is among his most vivid and layered.
Between this and her wonderful movie-stealing performance in “Predator: Badlands,” Fanning is touching in her willingness to play characters who are open books and utterly fragile.
“Sentimental Value” reminded me of Bergman in its silence, focus on character above all and capturing moments of beautiful spaces and the triumph that arises from surviving our hardest moments.
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It’s clear from the start how the film must end, and the final scene is very special. Still, I wanted the story to keep going. Perhaps this is an indication of how much I enjoyed Trier’s film, but it can also mean that I found that not enough was resolved by the third act.
Sometimes movies end exactly where they should – I admired Trier’s choice to conclude his film with perhaps the film’s most complicated shot, but I still wanted more from the story. Whereas some films find the perfect moment to wrap things up, I felt the ending here is satisfying at face value but in hindsight, inconclusive.
Not every story thread is properly addressed – I feel like young Erick and his father are neglected subplots. Yet, the level of the performances ensures that you feel every scene. Nevertheless, wanting a film that runs 133 minutes to go on longer and spend more time with its cast is probably an indication of how much I enjoyed “Sentimental Value.”
Three Stars (out of four)
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