CANNES – For generations, the Berg family has lived in a distinctly designed home in the center of Oslo, Norway. This house was built with a flaw, a crack in its foundation that creeps through the walls. The house has seen so much transpire that at the beginning of Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” it begins to narrate some of the events that have occurred within its walls and gardens. There has been joy and there has been pain. There has even been an unspoken tragedy that has inadvertently haunted the family for decades. Like that crack in the foundation, it seemingly cannot be fixed. And because of that, it’s not surprising that following the death of their mother, sisters Nora (Renate Rinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) don’t put up a fight when control of the property falls into the hands of their somewhat estranged father, Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård). But we digress, we’re getting ahead of ourselves a bit.
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A world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, “Value” begins with Nora, who, for lack of a better rubric, is drama. Granted, she’s an actress. That’s her job. But even when the spotlight is off, she can still be a bit much. Trier showcases Nora’s over-the-top stage fright in the first scenes of the film as her theater company has to go to extraordinary (and quite funny) extremes to get her on stage for the opening night. She’s a quietly unconventional and stubborn personality. Somewhat like her father, but trust us, you don’t want to tell her that.
Relentlessly single and with no interest in having children, Nora’s life is in marked contrast to her younger sister Agnes, who already has a 9-year-old son and a more stable family life. Agnes also seems more understanding of her father’s choice to leave Norway after her parents’ divorce. He was barely part of their lives growing up, but she understood. Nora? Her resentment still festers, a familiar sentiment for many who have difficult relationships with a parent (or two).
Gustav returns to Oslo to crash his former wife’s memorial, but that’s not the only reason he’s in town. He has a proposition for Nora. A famed filmmaker, Gustav, is ready to shoot his first film in 15 years, and he’s written the leading role for his eldest daughter. Pitching the project, Gustav’s lack of self-awareness comes to the forefront as he finds a way to both praise and insult Nora’s career choices simultaneously (how can she be wasting her time with that television series). Flustered, Nora turns the part down without even reading the script.
When Gustav is given a tribute at the Deauville American Film Festival, he discovers he has a big fan in Hollywood star Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning, perhaps slightly miscast). He may not be able to connect with his offspring, but Gustav knows how to charm on-screen talent. By the end of the night, Kemp, who counts one of Gustav’s movies as one of her favorites, is eager to work with him. Even if her “team” is less enthusiastic about it.

With his longtime producer by his side and Kemp committed to star, Gustav gets financing through Netflix (Trier’s includes an unnecessary photo-op scene that is perhaps the movie’s one miscue) and begins rehearsals in the family home. As the days pass, the actress becomes increasingly unnerved by Gustav’s unwillingness to discuss his mother, whose death plays a central part in the screenplay. She soon comes to the realization that despite her best efforts, her character should be played by Gustav’s daughter.
Featuring another stellar turn by Skarsgård (his brood is having quite a Spring) and a destined-to-be-underappreciated performance by Lilleaas, “Value” soars thanks to yet another remarkable collaboration between Trier and Reinsve. The latter already won Best Actress at Cannes for “The Worst Person in the World,” and they appear to bring out the best in each other creatively. Reinsve often makes subtle choices in playing Nora, which hit you like a hammer. We’ve already used “generational” in a different context in this review, but Reinsve‘s talent is exactly that: generational, and this film would be a markedly different endeavor without her.
As with much of his previous work, Trier is masterful with delicate, humanist moments. And there is certainly something wistful about seeing Nora in a brief, happy, affectionate affair with her “Worst” co-star, Anders Danielsen Lie, considering his fate in that triumph. Trier has learned how to push the best buttons, but the brilliance of “Value” truly coalesces at the end when Gustav’s picture is finally in production. A moment when Trier rips away the trauma in a brilliant and hopeful metaphor for this family’s future. Truly sublime, Mr. Trier. Sublime. [A-]
NEON will release “Sentimental Value” in the U.S. this fall
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