Sentimental Value

Stellan Skarsgård at his very best which is saying something. Renate Reinsve masterclass. Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas both making me cry. And a Labi Siffre needle drop to finish everything off? Joachim Trier what have you done to me? Right after the movie I was reading online that some people feel Gustav gets let off the hook too easy and his reconciliation with his daughters feels unearned. I didn’t see it like that and I also don’t think that reconciliation is something for him to earn necessarily. I don’t consider Nora taking the part to even be a reconciliation but rather her finally taking that first step to face her issues and trauma head on instead of avoiding it like she has done for the majority of the film. I think Agnes, being a mother herself, finds it much easier to recognise that her father is a wounded child the same as themselves and a lot of things he’s done has been a reaction to that one event in his life. I don’t see this as an excuse for him it’s just an added piece of context, one which is enough for Agnes to breach that gap with him. It takes more than that for Nora and I suspect reading that script is the closest she will get to an apology from him but I think it helps her realise Gustav isn’t going to meet her halfway on this even if he so badly wants to. She realises that if she wants to heal she has to face it on her own terms, just for herself.