Joachim Trier’s ‘Sentimental Value’ Delivers Raw Family Truths

Joachim Trier’s latest feature, despite its title, steers well clear of the syrupy sentiment you’d expect from a Hollywood drama. Instead, the Norwegian director crafts a story that’s as honest as it is funny, digging into the chaos of family ties with a light touch and a sharp eye. After the much-loved The Worst Person in the World, Trier teams up again with Renate Reinsve, who takes on the role of Nora, an actor paralysed by stage fright. Stellan Skarsgård plays her old man, Gustav, an arthouse filmmaker who did a runner when Nora and her sister Agnes were still kids. Now, with their mum gone, Gustav reappears, forcing Nora to face up to the bloke who left them behind.

It’s the sort of set-up that could easily turn into a soppy tale of forgiveness and family reunions, but Trier’s script keeps things grounded. The film’s best moments are the quiet ones, the kind that sneak up on you. There’s a scene where Nora, feeling lost, asks Agnes why she didn’t end up as messed up as her. Agnes replies,

‘Because I had you.’

The two sisters break down together, sharing a moment that’s raw and real, with grief hanging in the air but never tipping into melodrama. It’s just two people trying to make sense of their lives, weighed down by the baggage of the past.

Family Ties and Unspoken Words

Skarsgård’s Gustav isn’t painted as a villain or a hero. He’s complicated, sometimes infuriating, sometimes touching, and often just a bit lost. Not great at talking about feelings, he hands Nora a script he’s written, hoping she’ll take the lead in a story that blurs the lines between his own mother’s troubled life and his attempts to reach out to his daughter. Nora’s not having a bar of it, so Gustav ropes in an American star, Rachel (Elle Fanning), to play the part instead. Rachel dyes her hair to look like Nora, but can’t quite get under the character’s skin, no matter how hard she tries.

The script becomes a bridge between Nora and Gustav, if only they’d let it. Trier seems to reckon that art can help us process pain and talk about things we can’t say out loud, but it’s not a magic fix. Healing comes slowly, if at all, and only if you’re willing to let it. Even as art brings them together, Nora and Gustav still struggle to talk about what really matters. But it’s through performance—words written, spoken, and reflected back—that they start to find their way back to each other.

Art, Humour, and the Mess of Life

There’s a lot to love in Sentimental Value, from the way the family home feels alive with memories, to the film’s cracking opening sequence that’s both funny and full of energy. The story doesn’t rush, and some scenes seem to wander off on their own, like Gustav teaching his grandson how to shoot a video on a phone or handing over DVDs of The Piano Teacher and Irreversible—one of the film’s best gags. These moments add a sense of warmth and humanity, painting a picture of a family that’s as messy as it is loving.

It’s a film that finds beauty in the everyday, balancing heartbreak with dry wit. Trier never lets things get too heavy or too neat, and that’s what makes the story ring true. The performances are spot on, the writing is sharp, and the whole thing feels like a slice of real life—awkward, funny, and sometimes a bit painful, but always honest.