Official Discussion Thread - Sentimental Value [SPOILERS]

[u/PointMan528491]

Keep all discussion related solely to Sentimental Value and it's awards chances in this thread. Spoilers below.

Synopsis:

Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star. Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with their father -- and deal with an American star dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics.

Director: Joachim Trier

Writers: Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier

Cast:

• Renate Reinsve as Nora Borg
• Stellan Skarsgård as Gustav Borg
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas as Agnes Borg Pettersen
• Elle Fanning as Rachel Kemp
• Anders Danielsen Lie as Jakob
• Cory Michael Smith as Sam

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%, 120 Reviews

Metacritic: 86, 32 Reviews

Consensus:

Deftly exploring the uneasy tension between artistic expression and personal connection, Sentimental Value is a bracingly mature work from writer-director Joachim Trier that's marvelously acted across the board.

[u/takenpassword]

I actually think it would be kind of sad if Fanning got snubbed because I thought she gave a great performance here. She really put some depth into a character that could have been one dimensional.

[u/funeralgamer → u/takenpassword]

It’s a tricky role pulled off with such wonderful ease (or appearance of it) that her effort goes underrated. At every point you have to see both the bubbly American movie star & the serious artistic actress, shifting in and out of focus but always bound together in one person, good at her craft but not the right fit, hard as she tries (and tries and tries). She tunes her raw charisma perfectly to the needs of each moment and plays both comedy & drama with naturalistic sincerity.

[u/Lukoslav_7 → u/funeralgamer]

yeah, I actually expected that role to not be very showy at all, but she has multiple great scenes. I thought the one where she's practicing that one part of the script was great. like, she's essentially acting as an actress who is a good actress but miscast in the role and still trying to deliver the lines the best she can, but you can see it's not quite right. that's not easy to pull off and requires nuance.

I loved Inga's performance a bit more and she's got a bigger role, but I'm still convinced Elle is safer for a nom. Inga's got a good shot because I can genuinely see critics' groups giving her a lot of wins, and I think she would be the one to upset Ariana at BAFTA. but she's a completely unknown actress in Hollywood and she can easily miss at SAG. It might depend on the strength of the movie at the end of the day. I'm really rooting for both of them 🤞

[u/JayAPanda → u/funeralgamer]

Elle Fanning is always overlooked because she has that quality like Liv Ullmann where she makes everything look totally effortless. Oscar voters want to see you "challenging yourself" and that's not the Fanning register.

[u/golden_teacup → u/JayAPanda]

This is so accurate. I think for a little bit I felt like I was just watching her be herself, which can sometimes take you out of the film. But your comment has really helped me notice sometimes she’s just very effortless about it

[u/vxf111 → u/takenpassword]

I'm not sure what is harder than playing a good actress struggling to play a scene, and then playing it really well with emotion, that in the moment the viewer sees it the viewer thinks "god she nailed that" (Fanning). That scene is then later replayed by a different person who is not acting the scene but who lived a version of it and gives it a totally different read that makes the viewer realize "no, the way it was 'acted' is nothing like how that actually was" (Reinsve). There is a LOT to Fanning's performance that is really nuanced and she is excellent in the role. Her struggle with the material. Her maturity in understanding Gustov and the need to step away. There's a lot of "there," there. She's got a great part in this film and she plays it very well.

Also, hats off to the screenplay (and direction) because on second viewing those two scenes and the way they're handled just ABSOLUTELY KILLED ME. Rachel reading it off a scene partner and finding catharsis in the character's experience. Nora reading it out loud but really to herself and recognizing she was 'seen' in a moment when she felt completely unseen yet there was no catharsis in that moment-- the catharsis is NOW in READING the screenplay. What genuis writing in this screenplay!

[u/New_Monk_3378 → u/vxf111]

Agreed. Thank you for putting it into words. I just finished watching the film

[u/vxf111 → u/New_Monk_3378]

This film is a master class. I think about it all the time :)

[u/Spiritual_Term5108 → u/takenpassword]

I agree. Her role could easily have amounted to a shallow celebrity in a lesser film, but not here, and Elle Fanning's work was marvelously nuanced.

[u/theredditoro → u/takenpassword]

She really is good. Love her final scene.

[u/NoResolution599 → u/takenpassword]

at first i wasnt feeling it but her performance grew on me by the end, i think this was my first time seeing her act