Director Joachim Trier's latest film "Sentimental Value" has struck a profound chord with audiences and critics alike, with the Danish-Norwegian filmmaker creating his most personal work yet. The film, which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, stars Stellan Skarsgård and Renate Reinsve in a story that blurs the lines between reality and fiction, exploring how art can both reflect and shape our lives.
At Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, Trier, Skarsgård, and Reinsve gathered in a backstage room, deliberately facing away from a screen showing their film to an engrossed audience. Yet there's one scene they sometimes sneak back to watch – the powerful final moments that consistently move them to tears. "The ending always moves me," Skarsgård explains. "On the paper, it really scared me. It could have been sentimental hell, not Sentimental Value. What was important to me was that nothing was resolved. I hate the word closure. There's no closure in life. But there's something more beautiful."
"Sentimental Value," written and directed by Trier, builds its emotional power through scenes that pulse with the rhythm of real life, a hallmark of the acclaimed filmmaker's work including "Oslo, August 31st" and "The Worst Person in the World." The film opens in theaters Friday through Neon and represents a uniquely personal statement that resonates deeply with its stars due to its exploration of how life and art intertwine and enrich each other.
The story centers on Gustav Borg, a venerated filmmaker played by Skarsgård, who has been estranged from his family for years. Following the death of his ex-wife, Borg attempts to reconnect with his daughters Nora (Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas). Like her father, Nora is tough and stubborn, finding her outlet in performance. Gustav wants her to star in his new, highly autobiographical film – a project that also attracts the interest of an American starlet played by Elle Fanning.
Both lead actors found striking parallels between their characters and their own lives. Reinsve, 37, experienced her own breakthrough with "The Worst Person in the World," while Skarsgård, 74, is himself the father of eight children, many of whom are actors. These personal connections added layers of authenticity and emotional depth to their performances.
When Trier wrote the roles specifically for his actors, their reactions were mixed with excitement and apprehension. "For me it was nerve-racking because he knows me so well," Reinsve admits. "I didn't know what he was going to find. He's very smart and very wise, so what he finds is probably the truth." Trier's approach focuses on revealing authentic emotions rather than constructed performances, encouraging his actors to find characters within themselves rather than building them from scratch.
Skarsgård initially had reservations about the character as written. "The character on the paper wasn't really what he is in the film," he recalls. "I remember I said to you, 'Can't you get over your problems with your father?'" Trier's squeaky-voiced response of "I'm over them!" brought humor to what became a deeper exploration of complex family dynamics. The hard edges of Gustav's character in the script were softened through Skarsgård's interpretation, bringing compassion to what could have been a one-dimensional role.
For Reinsve, working with Trier represented a fundamental shift in her approach to acting. Previously known for playing characters who kept their emotions tightly controlled, she found freedom in Trier's directing style. "Joachim built that trust because of how he worked and how he sees people," she explains. "It was safe to let go of something in there. He sits beside the camera and whispers. He can tap into the actor's instinct." This collaborative approach creates what she describes as a feeling of doing the work together rather than performing alone.
Both actors view their craft as a way to explore emotions and experiences beyond their personal limitations. "I've always seen acting as a way of being able to do what you can't do in your private life," Skarsgård reflects. "I'm pretty reserved, in a way. But it's fantastic to have this art where you can also test everything. Can I feel that? It's like a child playing in a sandbox. Maybe it's evolutionary: mimicking the adults to survive." Reinsve adds with a laugh, "We're still children mimicking the adults."
The timing of the film's creation proved significant for Trier, who welcomed his first children during production. This personal milestone deeply influenced his work on an intergenerational story about family, art, and reconciliation. "A lot of people have trouble making art of a personal sort," Trier observes. "I'm the opposite. I'm rather proud that I've done personal films because my kids will see them. Maybe they'll see them and think they're stupid or my opinions are weird. That's OK, but they were me."
The film's distinctive pacing and breathing room, characteristic of Trier's work, reaches its peak in the carefully crafted ending. "That was when I knew I had the film I wanted to make, when I had the idea of ending," Trier explains. The final scene, shot on the last day of filming, represents the culmination of the director's vision and left the entire team emotional. The scene's rhythm and the acting "between the lines" particularly moved Skarsgård to tears during the interview.
"Sentimental Value" ultimately explores the cyclical relationship between life and art, where each influences and enriches the other. As Reinsve attempts to articulate this complex dynamic: "Art creates life, imitates... The human mind needs to create a narrative and make things black or white to protect itself. That's a problem in the world, being so polarized. The wisdom is being safe enough to create a space to let anything happen and see the nuances between people. Here, art imitates life, life imitates art. It's both ways." This profound exploration of creativity, family, and human connection makes "Sentimental Value" a deeply moving experience that continues to resonate with audiences long after the credits roll.
