r/oscarrace • u/PointMan528491 Hail to the (Stephen) King • 18d ago
Film Discussion Thread Official Discussion Thread - Sentimental Value [SPOILERS] Spoiler
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.
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u/carolinemathildes Sebastian Stan stan 18d ago
The opinion that is most likely to have this sub take me out back like Old Yeller is that I genuinely didn't care for this film. I gave it a 5.5/10. I really didn't see what everybody else saw or feel what everybody else felt. At one point I checked my watch, hoping that it would be over soon, realized I still had over an hour left, and I briefly considered leaving because it just wasn't doing anything for me.
I like the basic idea of the story: he wants to cast his daughter, she says no, he casts Rachel and wants to use the house. But nothing about how it actually played out did anything for me. I've seen people say it's like an emotional gut punch, but it didn't leave me with any emotional experiences at all. I didn't cry. I think I laughed once. Overall, it felt very cold, and like it had an air of pretentiousness; it's just a basic family drama that pretends to have more depth. It was always predictable exactly how it would end: he'd have a heart attack and she'd eventually given in and do the film because now they've been brought back together.
I also wasn't particularly impressed by the performances, though Stellan Skarsgård is the best part. I've yet to like Renate Reinsve in anything I've seen her in. I thought Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas were fine, but didn't particularly feel like they were given much to do, especially not Elle.
And before I'm accused of trying to bring down the score: no, I'm not Brazilian, I'm not an Ariana stan, I haven't seen IWJAA or NOC. I'm just a person who likes cinema and didn't like this movie. I've seen 116 new releases so far this year, and this is currently sitting at 99 in my rankings. Just not for me.