Sentimental Value
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2 (out of 5)
Scandinavian cinema has the beautiful aesthetic of the haunting light of the Northern lights that complement a tale that delves deep into the melancholy of the world. Sentimental Value epitomises this regional flavour with an added Hollywood element that struggles to fit within this narrative. Danish writer/director Joachim Trier (The Worst Person in the World) weaves a tale of family and filmmaking that seeks reconciliation in a father's neglected past.
Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård) is a celebrated filmmaker who returns home after his ex-wife's death, hoping to reignite his career while reconnecting with his estranged daughters. Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) have lived without their father for years. Initially, they don't see the need to re-engage with their father. Yet, the patriarch offers Nora the lead in his latest film since she has become a recognised stage actress throughout her life. When she rejects him, the aging director catches the eye of world-renowned actress Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning), who wants to be in his latest project. The intermingling of familial tensions and filmmaking opportunities leads to a contorted journey of discomforting yearning from all involved.
There is an eerie beauty to this tale of a creative's passion for his work that leads him to neglect his family. Yet, as the years pass, the man and his family desire to find one another again to come together to rediscover what was lost in their family. Stellan Skarsgård has an uncanny ability to play charming and despicable, leaving the viewer wondering whether he deserves the love he seeks. A powerful character that is complemented by the magnificent performances of Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, who manage to embody a shared grief, necrosis and sibling devotion. Each is surrounded by cinematography that supports their narrative with a deft sorrowfulness that defines this style of filmmaking, both on- and off-screen.
Knitted into this tale is a fascinating statement about how Hollywood has little place in this country's storytelling. Elle Fanning's role personifies how difficult it is for these two worlds to be close, yet so divergent in their methods of sharing the heart of humanity. This less-than-subtle statement shows that celebrating the region's stories has value and that they can find their own methods of reconciliation and expressions of familial love. Sentimental Value has an allure that draws the audience into the layers of the past, present, and potential future, relying on the sombre drama that can only be understood through personal experience.
\REEL DIALOGUE: It may not always be perfect, but a parent’s love is always desired over none at all.
There is nothing quite like the love of a parent or knowing your parents. Even in the worst of experiences, the love, support and hugs from your father or mother should have a soothing effect on your very existence.
Sentimental Value offers a glimpse into the value of family, but at its heart is the essential need for love and acceptance. This relationship can come in the form of blood relations, a blended family or through adoption and shows that no price can be put on the importance of parents in the life of a child.
Have you told your children how much they mean to you today?
