Heartland: Sentimental Value
Joachim Trier's followup to "The Worst Person in the World" is an intimate and beautiful familial drama that will leave you weeping.
One of the most powerful films to release in 2021 was Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World.” Not only did the film launch its star, Renate Reinsve, into worldwide stardom, but it also helped make international films more mainstream with American audiences, alongside films such as“Parasite” and “RRR.” What made Trier’s film stand out so much was that, despite it being in the Norwegian language, the themes it conveyed, of one trying to figure their life out in their 20s, felt so universal.
Whatever Trier did next was obviously going to attract more eyeballs than any of his previous films. There’s been a narrative about whether or not his latest, “Sentimental Value,” could be the movie that makes him a household name with domestic audiences. But what makes “Sentimental Value” so damn special is that Trier sticks to his guns of what makes him such a distinct filmmaker, resulting in one of the most emotionally impactful films of the year.
“Sentimental Value” focuses on stage and television actress Nora (Reinsve), who, alongside her sister, Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), is grieving the death of her mother. During the wake at their childhood home, the sisters are startled by the emergence of their estranged father, Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård), a celebrated film director who is looking to make a comeback. While Agnes is more open to welcoming Gustav back into her life, introducing him to her husband (Andreas Stoltenberg Granerud) and young son (Øyvind Hesjedal Loven), Nora is more skeptical.
We learn that Gustav was barely there for his children when they were growing up, and when he was around, a lot of his time would be spent fighting with his then-wife. So when Gustav proposes that Nora star in his next movie, which would be filmed inside her childhood home, she refuses. By chance, Gustav meets A-list American actress Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning) at a retrospective of his career. Seeing how touched she is by his work, Gustav approaches Rachel about starring in his new movie.
Gustav claims that this new movie was based on his late mother’s life, who committed suicide in her home, but we slowly realize that there’s much more to the story than that. He tries to prove he’s changed to his daughters, but even as Agnes tries to convince her, Nora remains cold.
If there could only be one word to describe “Sentimental Value,” it would be ‘intimate.’ Trier has never shied away from vulnerability, after all, this is the same filmmaker who named his last movie “The Worst Person in the World.” Even still, “Sentimental Value” is a film that is bursting with so much raw human emotion.
Skarsgård, an actor who has been criminally underrated for so many years, gives one of the greatest performances of his career as Gustav. Initially, we’re not sure if we’re supposed to even like this character, especially with everything Nora has said about him. Yet, Skarsgård displays such a strong understanding of his character that you can’t help but believe him.
Every single central character in “Sentimental Value” feels like a real person. Trier never portrays any of his characters as simply black and white. He shows a deep empathy for everybody in his screenplay. Even Fanning’s Rachel Kemp, who could have simply been comic relief or portrayed as “the dumb American,” is given a strong agency throughout the movie. Reinsve and Lilleaas are equally strong in their roles, each delivering pivotal monologues that help the movie’s themes of regret and forgiveness feel even more resonant.
Some of the directorial swings that Trier attempts take a bit of getting used to, such as the movie’s constant fades to black. While initially distracting and even a bit jarring, it feels earned in the film’s emotional third act. Still, some moments feel a bit out of place, including a quick vignette of Gustav, Nora, and Agnes’ faces fading into one another, which already felt incredibly on-the-nose.
It’s all easy to forgive, as “Sentimental Value” is a movie that comes from such an earnest place. Once again, Trier has made a movie that is easy to see oneself in. Culminating in a powerful third act that will have you wiping away tears as you walk out of the theater. Or at least, that’s how I was.