Everyone understands family dynamics. It’s a part of the human condition; its own sort of universal language. We all have a chaotic relative, or someone that we can rely on no matter what. As college students, we learn how to stay close to the ones we love while being far away. After college, we navigate finding our place in the world outside of the families we grew up in. The film “Sentimental Value” explores these family relationships and how we fit into the world outside of our families.
Written and directed by Joachim Trier and co-written by Eskil Vogt, “Sentimental Value” follows a washed-up genius filmmaker Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgard) and his two estranged daughters, Nora and Agnes (Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, respectively). The two sisters, who are very different yet remain close, are forced to reconnect with their estranged father when he decides to make a film about the family’s life, insisting Nora must star. With a familiar blend of tension, humor and unresolved history, the film digs into the Borgs’ relationships in ways many viewers will find immediately recognizable.
“You could say it’s a small film because it’s about a little family in Norway, but it’s a bit of a big swing for us because we are trying to talk about very, very fundamental human things,” Trier said in conversation with The DePaulia. “We’re out on a limb a bit because we are trying to do something that is in a way, simple and complicated at the same time.”
Anchored by the Borgs’ ancestral family home, “Sentimental Value” examines what it means to be a person; a sister, a father, a mother, and our responsibilities in these roles. Many generations of the Borg family have lived in that house. Their emotions, legacies and stories haunt the house and the narrative in many ways.
The house is its own character in a way, having bore witness to years of familial history. Generational trauma, dynamics and the cyclical nature of family is interwoven in the film, and though the story is so specific to the Borg family, its truth is understood by all of its audience.
Trier elaborated on this idea, sharing that “Even though cultures vary, the dynamics of family is something that keeps recurring in all art from everywhere.”
“Sentimental Value” also explores themes of reconciliation, and if that is possible when a parent didn’t give you what you needed growing up. Nora and Agnes have a hard time deciding what to do about their father’s new project and whether they want to be involved. Their father ends up hiring fresh, popular American actress Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning) to take on the main role in the film. As Kemp explores her role in the film and the sisters learn more about the project, the true intimate and personal intentions of the script become clear, leaving Nora and Agnes to decide if they’re willing to reconcile with their Dad.
The film is a beautiful tapestry, held together by the narrative threads that make this movie interesting, engaging and relatable.
When asked about the themes of this movie, Trier said, “It’s exactly these themes that will hopefully travel and that way we can talk to people around the world.”
“It’s been such a pleasure to see how universal these kinds of stories are,” Vogt shared. “People seem to appreciate the dark subject matter that lies underneath in the film is treated in a light manner, and people are given the chance to laugh as well.”
“Sentimental Value” premiered at Cannes Film Festival 2025, where it won the Grand Prix award, and it is Norway’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards. The film is now playing in select theatres across the country.
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