Intimate yet vast, Sentimental Value has as its center the difficult relationship between acclaimed film director Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgard) and his adult daughter, stage actress Nora Borg (Renate Reinsve). As in The Worst Person in the World, however, director Joachim Trier widens the lens to also consider many other things, such as the legacy of a childhood home, aging as an artist, the scars left from the Norwegian resistance movement, and more. Reinsve and Skarsgard work repressed magic in each scene they share—exploding on occasion, but still never directly confronting the deeper issues involved. Amidst the achingly human performances, Trier sneaks in some formal touches that border on the avant-garde, including a familial portrait in which the faces of Nora and younger sister Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, also quite good) are mapped over Gustav’s visage. Elle Fanning also has a handful of nice moments as an American movie star who accepts the lead role in Gustav’s latest project after Nora turns it down.
(1/18/2026)
