Sentimental Value (15)
Cast: Stellan Skarsgard, Elle Fanning, Renate Reinsve, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Anders Danielsen LieGenre: Drama
Author(s): Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier
Director: Joachim Trier
Release Date: 26/12/2025 (selected cinemas)
Running Time: 133mins
Country: Nor/Fr/Ger/Den
Year: 2025
Renowned actress Nora Borg and her sister Agnes mourn the passing of their psychotherapist mother Sissel. Estranged father Gustav Borg arrives during the funeral reception to offer his condolences. The film director comes bearing a deeply personal film script that he hopes will resuscitate his career and rebuild bridges when Nora agrees to play the lead role. She rejects the clumsy olive branch and Gustav looks to fast-rising American actor Rachel Kemp instead.
LondonNet Film Review
Sentimental Value (15) Film Review from LondonNet
Art imitates and invigorates life in Joachim Trier’s deftly constructed drama about the heavy price of artistic expression on a family that feels more comfortable tackling fictional trauma than sifting through the smouldering wreckage of their real-life misdeeds. Slow-burning and contemplative by design, Sentimental Value is unafraid of awkward silences between characters who are unable to express themselves clearly. Simmering rage and resentment are palpable as a magnificent ensemble cast trades glancing blows and slowly manoeuvres into a place where some of them are open to listening and learning…
Renowned actress Nora Borg (Renate Reinsve) suffers from crippling bouts of stage fright that compel her to lock herself in her dressing room and miss her opening cue. After a nervy opening night performance with co-star and lover Jakob (Anders Danielsen Lie), Nora basks in congratulations from her sister Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) and brother-in-law Even (Andreas Stoltenberg Granerud). Her heart is broken by the death of her psychotherapist mother Sissel and during the funeral reception, Nora and Anges’ estranged father Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgard) returns to offer his condolences.
The film director comes bearing a deeply personal film script that he hopes will resuscitate his career and rebuild bridges if Nora agrees to play the lead role. “I wrote it for you. You’re the only one who can play it,” he gruffly asserts. She rejects the clumsy olive branch and Gustav looks to fast-rising American actor Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning) instead. She arrives in Oslo with two assistants (Catherine Cohen, Cory Michael Smith) and an intense curiosity about the real-life inspiration for the script. Making the film in the family home forces the Borgs to reopen old wounds. When Gustav eventually sits down with his two daughters for a candid discussion about his mistakes, he draws attention to how similar he is to Nora. “It’s hard to love someone who’s so full of rage,” he warns her.
Sentimental Value reunites Trier with Reinsve, Bafta-nominated star of his previous film The Worst Person In The World, for a deceptively simple and elegant study of the psychological damage that parents can unwittingly inflict on their offspring after a child deduces parents are flawed just like everyone else. Dialogue is razor-sharp and generously soaked in pain and regret, providing the central quartet of Reinsve, Skarsgard, Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Fanning with meaty material to chew on. Each of them has at least one standout scene of raw, unfiltered vulnerability.
The script incorporates a smattering of in-jokes for ardent fans of the big screen (Gustav’s present to his grandson is a highly inappropriate selection of arthouse films on DVD) but doesn’t descend into self-indulgent backslapping. The unshakeable, discomfiting truth emerges when you dare to turn the camera on yourself.
– Jo Planter
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London Cinemas Showing Sentimental Value
From: Friday 16th January
To: Thursday 22nd January
Fri 14:10; Mon 15:00; Tue 14:40; Wed 12:00; Thu 14:30
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Fri 12:40 17:20; Sat/Sun 13:00; Mon 11:50 17:30; Tue 20:10; Thu 12:45 15:50
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Fri 11:35 15:25; Sat 18:45; Sun 22:25; Mon 11:50 13:55; Tue/Thu 13:00 23:00 (Thu); Wed 17:00 22:50
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Fri/Wed 14:15; Sat 13:00; Tue 12:00
From: Friday 23rd January
To: Thursday 29th January
Fri 20:15; Sat/Mon/Wed 14:00 (Sat) 19:45; Sun 18:30; Tue/Thu 17:00
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Fri 20:10; Sat/Mon/Tue/Thu 11:40 (Sat) 20:00; Sun 13:40 19:20; Wed 20:40
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UK and Irish Cinemas Showing Sentimental Value
From: Friday 16th January
To: Thursday 22nd January
Mon 11:30; Thu 14:15
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Fri 19:15; Sat 20:00; Mon 19:30; Wed 11:50
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Fri 14:50; Sat 13:40; Sun 12:20; Mon 14:10; Wed 14:00; Thu 15:00
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Fri/Thu 13:20; Sat 13:10; Sun 19:10; Mon 18:00; Wed 13:00
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Odeon Luxe Birmingham Broadway Plaza
Fri 12:40 21:00; Sat 20:40; Mon 12:00 16:10; Tue 20:20; Thu 12:30
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Odeon Manchester Great Northern
Fri/Mon-Thu 14:00
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Showcase Cinema De Lux Bluewater
Fri/Wed/Thu 10:30 (Wed/Thu) 11:15; Mon 10:40; Tue 10:25
Showcase Cinema De Lux Reading
Fri/Tue-Thu 11:30; Mon 11:10
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From: Friday 23rd January
To: Thursday 29th January
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Odeon Luxe Birmingham Broadway Plaza
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Sun 12:40
Fri/Wed 14:10; Mon 14:15; Tue 12:40; Thu 14:00
