There are some actor and director partnerships that feel inevitable, like they spark something electric the second they start working together. We talk a lot about Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos or Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler, and they absolutely deserve the praise. Another one of the most exciting creative partnerships in cinema belongs to Joachim Trier and Renate Reinsve. What they do together is intuitive and emotionally fearless, and “Sentimental Value” is another powerful example of that partnership.
The film won the Grand Prix at Cannes this year, and it is not hard to see why. Trier is working at an incredible level, and Renate Reinsve delivers a raw, unpredictable performance that makes the film feel dangerous and alive. “Sentimental Value” is a family drama, but it is also a story about ego, artistry, grief, and the unintentional bruises families leave on each other. It feels like Trier’s most delicate work, but also one of his most devastating.
The story centers on Gustav, played by Stellan Skarsgard, an acclaimed filmmaker who decides to create one final personal film about his own family history. He wants to shoot inside the home where he grew up, and he wants his daughters to be part of the project. It takes about five minutes to realize this is a terrible idea. Gustav is a man who understands art but struggles with emotional accountability. As a director, he is skilled. As a father, he is complicated.
His daughters, Nora and Agnes, feel like complete opposites in the most believable way. Renate Reinsve plays Nora, a stage actress who lives in a constant state of ambition and collapse. The film opens with her backstage, overwhelmed by stage fright, and it is such an honest and tense moment that it feels almost invasive. Acting is difficult. It eats away at your confidence while demanding approval. Reinsve captures all of that with tiny shifts in her eyes and her body.
Agnes, played by Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, took a very different path. She chose stability, with a steady job and a grounded family life. The contrast between the two sisters becomes one of the most compelling threads in the film. They love each other, but they do not understand each other’s choices. When Gustav reappears with a movie script about their lives, those differences become impossible to ignore.
Gustav wants Nora to star in his film, but she refuses. Their relationship is too fractured, and she has not forgiven him for his absence or for the grief surrounding their mother’s death. Instead, Gustav casts an American actress, Rachel, played by Elle Fanning. What follows is a fascinating exploration of performance, identity, and the way artists use their own wounds to create meaning.
There are two scenes where Rachel and Nora read the same monologue at different points in the story. For Rachel, it is a technical challenge. For Nora, it is her life on the page. The contrast becomes a meditation on how art can both expose and heal.
The craft of the film is stunning. Trier uses abrupt cuts to black to create a sense of theatrical rhythm, as if the lights are going down between acts. A sequence where each family member’s face morphs into the next becomes a simple but striking reminder of how we become our families without trying. It is visual storytelling at its most restrained and effective.
The performances across the board are exceptional, but Reinsve is on another level entirely. The moment that broke me is a simple shot of her backstage, staring blankly into a mirror. She looks lost and exhausted, like someone unsure how to step out of the version of herself that is hurting her. It is a moment that contains everything the film is trying to explore.
“Sentimental Value” is a beautiful and deeply emotional film. It is a story about being seen, being misunderstood, and trying to find connection inside a family that does not quite know how to communicate. Trier has crafted something rich and intimate, and it solidifies his partnership with Reinsve as one of the most important in modern cinema.
Watch the full review on The Wandering Screen YouTube Channel
Letter grade: A+