đŹ Sentimental Value (2025): Cast, Plot, Release Date & What to Expect from Joachim Trierâs Bittersweet Tale of Family, Art, and Healing
- Boxofficehype
- Jul 2
- 3 min read
đŹ SENTIMENTAL VALUE (2025) â Joachim Trierâs Bittersweet Masterpiece of Family, Art, and Unresolved Pasts
In Theaters November 7
What happens when ambition, art, and old wounds collide under one roof? Thatâs the heart of Sentimental Value, an emotional rollercoaster from Norwegian auteur Joachim Trier, returning to his roots with a poignant and darkly funny exploration of fractured family bonds and the complexities of creative legacy.
Premiering to rave reviews and winning the Grand Prix at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, this Norwegian comedy-drama hits U.S. theaters on November 7, and itâs already being hailed as one of the most affecting films of the year.
đ The Story: Old Ghosts, New Scripts
After the death of their mother, estranged sisters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) are forced to reunite with their father, Gustav Borg (Stellan SkarsgÄrd), a once-celebrated director now fading into obscurity.
Gustav, desperate to reclaim his artistic relevance, has written an autobiographical film based on his mother's traumatic life in Nazi-occupied Norway. He offers the lead role to Noraânow a respected stage actressâbut she refuses, unwilling to reenter his orbit. In a move that reignites familial tensions, he casts a young Hollywood starlet, Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning), in the role instead.
Now, with a film production unfolding in their haunted family home, the sisters must navigate their shared grief, artistic integrity, and the reappearance of a father who walked away when they needed him most. As the camera rolls, buried emotions unravel, and everyone involved is forced to question what matters more: closure or control?
đ An Ensemble that Dazzles
Trier reteams with his The Worst Person in the World star and Cannes favorite Renate Reinsve, delivering yet another layered, introspective performance. Sheâs joined by:
đŹ Stellan SkarsgĂ„rd as Gustav, a magnetic mix of charm, regret, and ego.
đ« Elle Fanning as Rachel, the American outsider thrown into a mess of Nordic drama.
đ Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas as Agnes, Noraâs grounded but emotionally fragile sister.
đ Cory Michael Smith, Anders Danielsen Lie, Catherine Cohen, and more in vibrant supporting roles.
đ„ Trier + Vogt: A Masterful Screenwriting Duo
Joachim Trier and longtime collaborator Eskil Vogt continue their brilliant exploration of human connection, following the thematic echoes of Reprise, Oslo, August 31st, and The Worst Person in the World. But in Sentimental Value, the focus shifts toward intergenerational wounds, legacy, and the price of turning real pain into art.
The film is intimate yet sweeping, laced with Trierâs signature melancholy and deadpan humor, and grounded in his delicate balance of memory, personal history, and emotional rawness.
đĄ A Home Filled with History and Hurt
The ancestral family houseâset in the scenic outskirts of Osloâacts as both a literal and emotional battleground. Here, the ghosts of the past and the pressures of performance collide, making the film feel like a chamber piece that expands outward, thematically and visually, as tensions mount.
đż Why You Should Watch
If youâve ever felt the tug-of-war between personal ambition and family expectations, or struggled to reconcile the idealized version of a parent with reality, Sentimental Value will hit home. Itâs a film that understands how love and resentment can coexist, especially within families shaped by absence and art.
Trier crafts something deeply personal and resonant, a story about the courage it takes to forgive, the cost of turning pain into performance, and the uncertain value of sentimental things.
đïž Coming Soon
Sentimental Value releases in U.S. theaters on November 7, 2025, following its Norwegian debut on September 12 via Nordisk Film. Itâs one of this yearâs must-watch international dramas and a serious contender for the upcoming awards season.
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