Premiering a few years after his critically acclaimed film, The Worst Person in the World, Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s latest film Sentimental Value again casts Renate Reinsve reckoning with the dysfunctional relationship with her father. Fueling her energy into acting, Nora is perpetually single, sharing a close bond with her younger sister, Agnes (played by Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), and reckoning with her estranged ties to her father, Gustav (Stellan Skarsgard). The film delves deeper into the frustration that envelops her after being asked by her father to play the lead role in a script he’s written after taking a lengthy hiatus from directing. With illuminating and believable characters, Trier’s Sentimental Value is a quietly brilliant film depicting the layers of complexities and emotional hurt embedded in family.
Growing up a few years apart, Nora and Agnes recall the same unpleasant tumultuousness and unsettling silence that draped over their childhood and adolescent years under the same roof. With an absent father dedicated to his career as a filmmaker, the two sisters bonded over their lack of a steady male figure in their life. Despite their similarities, Agnes now has a young son and a husband to call family while Nora’s dating choices include an affair with a married coworker, shying away from emotional vulnerability and attachment that instead translate through her mesmerizing on-stage avantgarde roles and performances. Hinting at an attempt to take her life when she was younger, Agnes often worries about Nora’s future and mental health as roles reverse and she now takes on a caretaker role for her adult sister.
Often clouded by his own thoughts and fantasies, Gustav is oblivious to the emotional subtleties shown by those he claims to love. He waxes poetic about his next film project, marveling in the excitement at the idea of his eldest daughter playing the lead role, only to be faced with Nora’s frustration and denial of working together. Hiring Rachel Kemp, an American actress (played by Elle Fanning), Gustav proceeds with the direction of his impending masterpiece, yet his inspiration for the film gradually wanes as his initial vision for the project veers off course. As much as his artistic output is something Gustav has relied on for the majority of his life, there is no replacement for making amends with his daughter. Staking the house they grew up in as the primary location for shooting, the foundation of ‘home’ becomes immersed in memory, growth and, of course, sentimentality. Despite the urgency of the film’s conclusion, Trier’s grasp of nuance and detail with his characters is handled with sensitivity and poignancy, making Sentimental Value another key title in the director’s already remarkable directorial work.
For those in Austin, you can watch Sentimental Value today through Wednesday December 10th at Austin Film Society. Purchase your tickets here.
