Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” has been one of the breakout films of the year, debuting to rapturous acclaim at Cannes before continuing its festival run through Telluride and Toronto. Now, with awards season fast approaching, distributor Neon has released a new trailer highlighting the film’s emotional intimacy and powerhouse performances from Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas.
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Written by Eskil Vogt and Trier, “Sentimental Value” follows sisters Nora and Agnes, who reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav (Skarsgård), a once-renowned filmmaker chasing one last shot at redemption. When Gustav offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film, she refuses — only to discover he’s given her part to a young American star, played by Fanning. The decision fractures the family’s already fragile relationship, forcing the sisters to navigate jealousy, resentment, and their father’s fading sense of artistic purpose.
The cast also includes Jakob Oftebro, Anders Danielsen Lie, Maria Bonnevie, and Herbert Nordrum, deepening Trier’s recurring cinematic universe of collaborators and emotionally layered performers. Reinsve and Lilleaas anchor the film’s central relationship with a tense but tender realism, while Skarsgård brings gravitas and quiet heartbreak to the role of a father both adored and resented.
The film reunites Trier with Reinsve, star of his Oscar-nominated “The Worst Person in the World,” while introducing Skarsgård and Fanning to the director’s world for the first time. Shot in Norway, the film embodies Trier’s signature blend of intimacy and scope — a poignant examination of how family, fame, and ambition intersect in the pursuit of meaning.
“Sentimental Value” premiered at Cannes to standing ovations, earning Reinsve the festival’s Best Actress award and positioning Trier as one of this awards season’s leading auteurs. Critics praised the film’s psychological nuance, visual precision, and emotional depth, calling it one of the year’s most affecting dramas (read our review).
Produced by Maria Ekerhovd and Andrea Berensten Ottmar, “Sentimental Value” opens in select theaters on November 7 through Neon.
Edward Davis is a senior film journalist and longtime contributor to The Playlist. Davis covers the full breadth of cinema — from major studio releases to independent and international film.
