Sentimental Value

“i know you think you are incapable of caring, but you were there for me.” jesus christ. jess and i are emotional wrecks and i can see why this was a bombshell on the festival circuit. sentimental value is one of the year’s best and tells an incredibly rich and tender tale about familial trauma and rekindling what was never there to begin with. from its opening moments, director joachim trier establishes the theme that rings constantly throughout the film: our shared expression of feelings and just being present is what makes something valuable. nora’s (renate reinsve) sixth grade essay describes how if she could be an object, she’d be her house. a house that feels every action and shares every experience with those within. a house is just a house unless the people inside make it a home. the thing that a house doesn’t share with humans is that it cannot communicate and express its love. gustav borg (stellan skarsgård) is an established but waning film director, keen on making his latest picture inspired by his own personal trauma as a child. following the death of his ex-wife, gustav suddenly reappears in the lives of his two daughters nora and agnes, hoping to cast nora as the lead in his film. without getting too much into the plot, i can definitely say the emotions never fade at any point and the strong bond between the siblings do a lot of heavy lifting towards the end. the thing that stood out to me the most with this film was the directing. if paul thomas anderson doesn’t win for one battle after another, this will be my runner up for best directing. this film is intensely intimate and poignant and joachim trier understands this deeply, showcased by the deliberate restraint and control of the camera and the surrounding environment. the strain between these characters is represented beyond just the dialogue and their actions. renate reinsve absolutely deserves her flowers and rose byrne has got some competition this year during award’s season. much like gustav’s vision for nora, reinsve was the only one who could have nailed this role and it is fantastic. stellan skarsgård is a powerhouse as well and this is a role that feels made with him in mind. there are some great supporting performances as well with elle fanning as rachel kemp, a top american actress interested in gustav’s film. she also has one of the best monologues in the film. god damn this movie was just so good. i feel like i am just saying words and i don’t think i am quite erudite enough to accurately describe how it made me feel. oh my god i didn’t even mention the needle drops being so on point. the drive out to los angeles was completely worth it and i am looking forward to movie #2 of tonight at the vista theater. i fear that this one will be hard to beat. **“you two were the best things that ever happened to me.” ** “the best that's happened to you? then why weren't you there.”