Sentimental Value (15)

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