Sentimental Value

Lord, the parallels cause my entire body to quiver every single time. The further that I fall in love with film as an art from, the further that I fall in love with the brilliance of Sentimental Value. This rewatch did a lot for me, even though I’ve consider this film a masterpiece from the start, I now see it as the strongest film of the 2025 Oscar nominees. To take my praise a step further, Sentimental Value is one of the most profound portrayals of generational family grief. The themes are timeless, the acting is otherworldly, and the directing is laughably perfect. Art can be used to express the many things that can’t be put into words, to communicate things that are felt and never said; this film is exactly that, heartfelt visual poetry. The Criterion release is spectacular. Regarding the slipcover art, I set my expectations pretty low when walking into Barnes & Noble today. Many cinema content creators slandered the cover art before actually seeing it in person, and I just want to comfortably reassure anyone who was on the fence specifically because of the premature art critics. The cover tells a story, and only when you open it up can you see the full scope—quite similar to the themes of the film. I can’t wait to dive into the ample amount of supplements tomorrow morning, which I’m sure will bring me even closer to this deeply personal story. 99/100