Everyone took notice with his 2006 debut Reprise, but it is his Cannes’ Un Certain Regard 2011 sophomore feature Oslo, August 31st where this Norwegian filmmaker made his international mark. With competition stints in Cannes with 2015’s Louder Than Bombs (read ★★★½ review) and 2021’s The Worst Person in the World (read ★★★★ review), Joachim Trier re-teamed with Renate Reinsve plus Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Cory Michael Smith and Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value. Written alongside Eskil Vogt, this is a family drama set in Oslo that follows Nora (Reinsve), an actor, and her sister Agnes (Lilleaas), who are grieving the loss of their mother while their father Gustav reappears in their lives after a long absence. Gustav, a once-celebrated filmmaker, has written a script for a comeback movie and offered the main part to his daughter Nora, but she categorically refuses the role. During a career retrospective in France, Gustav meets an adoring Hollywood star and offers her the part intended for Nora. When the film starts shooting back home in Norway, Gustav (Skarsgård) seizes the opportunity to repair his bond with Nora and her sister. Kasper Tuxen is the cinematographer here. Filming took place in August 2024 in Oslo. This is Competition film #18.
Our 2015 Cannes Critics’ Panel gave Louder Than Bombs an average score of 2.8, but his 2021 film The Worst Person in the World took us by storm with a 3.3 average. Despite its nineteen minute standing ovation, Sentimental Value was seen by almost half of our jury and is currently riding with an average score of 3.2.
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