Sentimental Value: Movie Review

Cast: Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning
Director: Joachim Trier

Already lauded as a film about daddy issues, Norwegian director Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value is a meandering movie that boasts one stellar performance and two impressive turns, but not enough to bolster the feeling that it could have been much more.

The Worst Person in the World's Renate Reinsve stuns in an underwritten and occasionally understated role as Nora, an actress who, when we first meet her, is unable to go on stage for a performance.

After trying various ways to escape, she's forced on to perform, earning rapturous applause but setting the stage for a woman wracked by an internal conflict that's subtly explored over 135 minutes.

Her preening father and filmmaker Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård) has abandoned her and her younger sister Agnes years ago. But showing up unexpectedly at his former wife's wake, Gustav tries to make amends with Nora - but with nefarious ego-boosting reasons his sole motivation.

Deciding he wants to film in the house they all lived in years after he walked out, Gustav puts the cat among the pigeons with a film about his mother, who killed herself after Nazi persecution - and to make matters worse, he wants Nora for the lead.

Trier's movie has potential. 

From the framing of a house that's seen generations growing up (a wonderfully evocative opening essay from Nora details the differing viewpoints the abode has seen, something that's reminiscent of director Robert Zemeckis Here) to an incredible performance from Reinsve, there's real possibility in this tale of generational angst and fragile bonds that bind families together.

But it all becomes somewhat of a bore as it plays out. And certainly by the end of the 130 minutes, the emotional heft that's supposed to deliver the final killer blow feels muted by comparison to what's transpired.

There's a sensitivity to proceedings, but not enough propulsive drive to carry it on forward at times. And while Skarsgård delivers a dependable and solid turn as the father struggling with both the weight of his actions and the blindness of his own ego and ambition, it's Reinsve's alluring and understated acting that anchors this greatly.

Fanning flits in as the American actress flirting with the story, but the meta touches deployed here don't land as they should and the movie's overall impact is one of muted appeal, rather than one which would cement this movie as a longterm sentimental value to cinemagoers.