Sentimental Value
CANNES, MAY 2025
By Burcu Beaufort
After creating an instant classic with The Worst Person in the World (2022), Joachim Trier reunites with the brilliant Norwegian actor Renate Reinsve, once again bringing laughs and dark humor to Cannes, this time within an unsettling family drama set in Norway. The powerful director–actor duo is now joined by the legendary Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård, who was most recently seen as the gargantuan villain Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in Dune: Part I (2021) and Dune: Part II (2024). Notably, the film received a record-breaking 15-minute standing ovation at its world premiere and received the Grand Prix, the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d’Or.
Filmstill by Kasper Tuxen
Joachim Trier once again opens with an omniscient narrator, a gentle, witty voice of an elderly woman who introduces us to Nora Borg (Renate Reinsve) and her family.
Back in sixth grade, Nora was asked to write an essay from the perspective of an object. She chose the family house where generations had lived before her. Through the house’s eyes, she recalls racing down the stairs with her sister, slipping through a hole in the garden fence, and the weight of her parents’ arguments. The house holds deep sentimental value as the heart of their family, yet it was the same house her acclaimed father and director Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård), left behind when he moved to Sweden, abandoning Nora, her sister, and their mother.
This kind of storytelling with several narrative layers separating the audience from the actions is a smart approach to bringing a profound sense of lightness to a hefty story about family dynamics. Trier has no interest in over-dramatizing, and it’s that restraint that makes his film feel so genuine and heartfelt.
Years later, Nora has found success in her own artistic career and has taken the path of acting. Upon the loss of her mother, her estranged father Gustav suddenly returns to their old family house, holding a script he has written for Nora as the lead role. While Gustav is hopeful about his next film project, his daughter Nora is equally hurt and angry—so much so that she refuses to work with him. Renate Reinsve embodies this heavy-hearted young woman, troubled by anxiety attacks, with an almost effortless perfection.
Beyond the strained father–daughter relationship, the film also explores Borg’s family past, including how Gustav’s mother was part of the Norwegian resistance during World War II who was caught and tortured by the Nazis.
The scenes are bathed in Nordic blue light, with a cozy home in the background quietly witnessing the emotional tides of the Borg’s.
The film has made a strong impression in the Cannes lineup and will no doubt be talked about throughout the year, with a high likelihood of landing several Oscar nominations.