In Sentimental Value, an actress is forced to confront her past after her mother passes, her father—also a visionary film director—re-enters her life, and unconfronted traumas resurface in spades.
Director Joachim Trier reunites with Renate Reinsve, his star of The Worst Person in the World, for this touching ensemble drama that puts to screen heavy themes, subtly sublime performances, and delicately restrained filmmaking. The end result is an excellent film, even if it isn’t the kind of drama to normally win over this film critic.
While Reinsve headlines, she’s actually in the film less, or at least not more, than other cast members, most notably Stellan Skarsgaard, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning, who plays an American actress. Skarsgaard is absolutely terrific, delivering one of the best performances of his storied career. His character is complex, his inability to express full emotion except through his filmmaking, puts him at a disadvantage as he attempts to bond with his adult daughters. Skarsgaard makes it look easy.
But Sentimental Value is very much an ensemble-led drama; every actor nails their part, and equally importantly, they feed off each other in electric ways. Sentimental Value doesn’t feel like a play, and yet the cast operates as if they have been interacting with each other for years, preparing for the juiciest opportunity of their lives.
The movie is quiet, much of the story’s raw emotion churning just below the surface and out of sight. Trier does an incredible job letting the film ebb and flow, directing with precision and yet making it appear as if it isn’t a masterclass in calculated drama.
However, this isn’t the kind of movie I personally get worked up about; as great as the performances are, as well conceived as the story is, this is a subtle piece of art, a drama about Scandinavians with first-world and minute problems. These people have flaws, yes, but it’s hard to get too worked up about minor daddy issues manifested in nuanced ways.
These criticisms are not to diminish the work put to screen in Sentimental Value, but it’s a drama that will appeal to cinephiles and theater majors more than the average moviegoer. I’ll likely ever watch again—but to deny the skill on display here would be a travesty.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.