Every year, there is typically at least one film that has me so excited that I proclaim it "My Most Anticipated Film of the Year"...and while it is a clear sign of where my tastes are aligned, the 2025 film that earned that title for me was Sentimental Value.
As the latest work of acclaimed Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value delved into themes that were very much up my alley: you had acting and theatre and film involved...not to mention domestic drama. Everything about it just SCREAMED to be a film that would speak highly to me.
It also doesn't hurt that Trier has been behind some truly strong films in the last 20 years, namely his Oslo Trilogy which included Reprise (2006); Oslo, 31 August (2011); and perhaps the film that I consider to be his magnum opus to date: The Worst Person in the World (2021).
Sentimental Value reteams Trier with his Worst Person star Renate Reinsve, which also added to the excitement I had for finally seeing this film. Oh, and I would be remiss if I don't bring up the fact that the film had a rapturous response at Cannes where it got a 19-minute standing ovation afterwards.
I have been sitting with my thoughts on this film ever since watching it. In some ways, Sentimental Value ended up being a mild disappointment for me while also being incredibly beautiful at the same time. I will give you a little taste of the plot before I go deeper into what worked and what left me a tad cold.
The film begins with the setup that film director Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgard) and his psychotherapist wife Sissel separate which leads him to leaving Norway to further expand his film career. He had used his two daughters in his work, Nora (Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleas) but the latter opted not to continue an acting career, choosing to become a historian and is now married with a young son. Nora, on the other hand, did pursue an acting career...mainly on stage...but we learn she suffers from crippling bouts of stage fright that leads to panic attacks.
When Sissel passes away, Agnes notifies Gustav who comes back to reclaim the old house. Nora and Agnes view Gustav as a distant and neglectful father, but he has a request for Nora: he wants her to star in his latest film playing a character inspired by his mother Karin, who had been a member of the Norwegian Resistance movement against the Nazis and had been tortured when she was captured by them. Later on, when Gustav was 7, she committed suicide in the very home he came back to claim.
Nora is greatly disturbed by the idea of this and refuses to even look at the script...but Gustav's career has been struggling and he really wanted to do something that would fulfill himself. In order to obtain financing, he asks American actress Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning) to join the project after she praises his work at a film festival retrospective. Having her enter the fray causes a bit of a discourse as she isn't entirely sure what she is getting into at first.
As I stated before, this is the kind of film that I would consider to be tailormade for me. I've made a comment that of filmmakers coming out of Scandinavian countries in this century who could be something of an heir to the work of Swedish impresario Ingmar Bergman, it would likely be Joachim Trier.
However...in the months since its been more widely seen in the US, I get the sense that this is a film that has been getting dragged a bit. I think the real issue with the film is that a lot of the stronger emotional beats don't hit as hard as Trier would expect them to hit.
As a story concept, I am sold. However - I was a bit amazed at how I felt a bit distant from it all at times...and admittedly, some of how the film progressed did feel very much in line with what one might expect to be "an Oscar bait" film. There is still something still rather accessible about it in a way that Trier's other works weren't...even if if Worst Person managed to net a somewhat surprising though richly deserved Screenplay nomination (an award it should've easily won but lost to freaking Belfast).
It was like I was waiting for the film to truly move me, but I am not so certain it ever did to the extent I expected it to. Instead, it would be moments that would strike my fancy whether it would be a particular story beat or how Trier constructed a scene, but if the film has any strength to truly place it onto a pedestal, it is the acting ensemble.
Reinsve, Skarsgard, Lilleas, and Fanning are doing sublime work here. I still think it is a shame that Reinsve never got swept up into the awards season for Worst Person because she should've been in winning contention for that. Here, she might not be the film's true sole focal point but she does well with Nora's dripping anxieties and depression.
Skarsgard is one of those actors who has never truly gotten his due, but this is a role where his gravitas shines through so beautifully. It is a very subtle performance, but I love how much we grow to appreciate the character more by the film's end.
Fanning has the smaller role of the quartet, but this is honestly the best she has been to date. It's truly a very meta role in that Fanning had never been to Norway prior and much like the character of Rachel Kemp, I'd argue that Fanning's career is still in a stage where she is building acclaim and respect to the point where she may have something to prove to the industry. I do think she would be worthy of an Oscar nomination here, because in a lot of ways, this was the most difficult role in the film. She has to play what a lot of European art house film aficionados might consider to be an airhead American type...and maybe that sensibility is sort of there. Still though, her emotional work in this is so rich, and I think her final scene with Skarsgard was so beautifully done when she has to make a choice that might go against her best interests.
However, the real find of this film was Inga Ibsdotter Lilleas as Agnes, who manages to go through the film as a grounding center but by the end, opens up into being a warm and emotional hug for Nora to climb into. I actually might go as far to say she might be who I would like to see WIN the Best Supporting Actress Oscar out of the major contenders I have seen. There is something about her that just feels so real and lived-in and natural that when she does let out the emotion, it felt so gratifying and well-earned.
Honestly, Fanning and Lilleas would both make strong candidates to be considered for the win. Frankly, the Supporting Actress race is a bloodbath at the moment when you consider the likes of Teyana Taylor, Amy Madigan, Wunmi Mosaku, Odessa A'zion, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
So yes, Sentimental Value did not live up to the heights of some of Trier's previous work...but I do think there are enough aspects to it that I would recommend you checking it out if anything about domestic dramas or the arts appeal to you. If anything, I just hope it puts Trier on the map on a greater scale as I suspect we will see more greatness from him
And, I have to stress again, THE ACTING. Beautiful work here from this ensemble.
SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Rating: 8/10
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