Sentimental Value (2025) Dir: Joachim Trier

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This 2025 Norwegian-set drama was directed by Joachim Trier, who had previously directed the highly acclaimed 'The Worst Person In The World', a film I had not yet seen, but had read and heard tremendously good things about. I was extremely eager to watch this film, particularly after it received some very encouraging reviews after its debut at Cannes Film Festival. Inevitably, I had to wait for the UK theatrical release to watch the film, but even so, my anticipation remained.

As one might imagine from the film's name, sentimental was the buzz word of the piece. The film was shot and lit to feel extremely sentimental, the score was made to sound extremely nostalgic - like memories, and the story itself was full of sentimentality, of memory, and of introspection. It was all very neatly tied together, in that sense. The choice of setting, with most of the action taking place in and around one family house, also suited leant itself to sentimentality, especially because it was dressed to feel well-loved and well lived-in.

If this film had one slight issue, it would be that it perhaps relies white heavily on how much you as an audience member relate to the characters and their flaws, which is not necessarily a criticism in and of itself, but it certainly could impact ones enjoyment of it, in any case. Being a fairly sentimental person myself, this was definitely a film that was up my alley, and I became very attached to the two sister characters in particular, as the film progressed.

Renate Reinsve received a huge amount of praise for her performance in the aforementioned Trier film; 'The Worst Person In The World', and she once again produced a stellar performance in this lead role. Her ability to provide oodles of emotion without uttering a word was highly effective, especially in response to the dialogue of other characters. You could tell that she understood this role intrinsically, which allowed her to truly thrive as her character.

Stellan Skarsgård is always a class act to have in a film, and he was, once again, excellent. The man had an elegance to his performance, particularly in the first half of the film, which really stood out to me. I was also keenly aware of how well he conveyed his character's pain, especially during scenes with Reinsve's character, in which some of the on-screen chemistry was so strong.

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas may have had a smaller role in terms of her screentime, but she and her character had a substantial impact upon on the film. Lilleaas acted wonderfully well, and her tenderness was both full of heart and extremely important to the wider film. Her character provided an explicitly emotional, wholesome vision of what the other protagonists could be, and the success of the role was, in large part, due to Lilleaas' superb acting.

Elle Fanning had a little bit of an odd role to play in the film, but I thought she did so beautifully, for the most part. Occasionally, ome of her acting didn't quite land as poignantly as she'd have hoped, but, on the whole, she did very well with a surprisingly challenging role. She made her character's care feel authentic and heartfelt, which really helped in making her feel more likable.

Overall, I thought this was a delightful and beautifully personal story, which was both nuanced and sincere in its presentation of familial love, relationships, and trauma. I absolutely adored the way the film was crafted from a visual perspective, and the thematic unity across all aspects of its filmmaking were excellent. Everything about the film was done nicely, and the care from those making it came through in abundance.