Neon has released the trailer for “Sentimental Value,” Joachim Trier’s latest film which reunites him with his “The Worst Person in the World” star Renate Reinsve.
Reinsve plays actress Nora, the estranged daughter of film director Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård). When Gustav informs her that he intends to shoot a film in their family home and wants her to star in the project, Nora declines the offer. The part ends up being played by the American actress Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning). In the trailer, Fanning asks Reinsve why she didn’t accept the role. Reinsve replies: “My father is a very difficult person.”
The film won the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival, where it received a 15-minute standing ovation and a positive critical response. Variety film critic Peter Debruge wrote that “this layered family-centric drama (which was also written by Eskil Vogt) shares its ability to find fresh angles on sentiments you’d think that cinema would have exhausted by now.”
The cast also includes Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, who plays Nora’s sister Agnes, Cory Michael Smith and Anders Danielsen Lie. Trier got emotional during the Cannes ovation, sharing in his speech that the people involved in “Sentimental Value” “struggled for years” in bringing it to fruition. “What’s that Buñuel quote? ‘I make films for my friends’? I feel you’re all my friends tonight,” he said.
Neon will be campaigning the film for Oscar consideration. “The Worst Person in the World” also premiered at Cannes in 2021, and Reinsve picked up the festival’s best actress honor. The film ended up earning Oscar nods for best international feature film and best original screenplay.
“Sentimental Value” opens in limited release Nov. 7 before expanding to more theaters around Thanksgiving. Watch the official trailer below.