Sentimental Value, the comedy-drama starring Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning, has unveiled a new trailer ahead of its release in the UK. After premiering to critical acclaim at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the latest feature from Joachim Trier could be a major player on the awards circuit.
The film sees Skarsgård portray Gustav Borg, a celebrated filmmaker who is estranged from his daughters, Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas). The trio come into contact when Gustav decides to make a film about his past, reopening old wounds.
The new trailer showcases some of the strain present in the Borg family, which is increased following the arrival of Rachel Kemp (Fanning), an actor who assumes the lead role in Gustav’s film.
Billed as a “poignant exploration of family, memories and the reconciliatory power of art”, the film is Trier’s first work since 2021’s The Worst Person in the World, which also starred Reinsve in the lead role.
Like that film, Sentimental Value has been selected as Norway’s entry for Best International Feature at the upcoming 98th Academy Awards, and it looks to have a decent shot of triumphing given the acclaim.
Courtesy of MUBI
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On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a near-perfect approval rating of 96% from 118 reviews, with the site’s consensus reading: “Deftly exploring the uneasy tension between artistic expression and personal connection, [it] is a bracingly mature work.”
“Sentimental Value is essentially a double act between Skarsgård and Reinsve, and these two performers play off each other in a way that’s recognizable to anyone who’s struggled with paternal baggage, by which we mean everybody,” wrote Rolling Stone.
“A story about home, inheritance, and fiction’s ability to reveal truths capable of bringing alienated individuals together, it’s a tumultuous, moving triumph,” opined The Daily Beast, while LAist wrote: “This might be the best movie of the year.”
Courtesy of MUBI
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“Though it’s only two hours and 13 minutes long, Sentimental Value packs a whole novel’s worth of emotional texture and telling visual detail into that run time,” wrote Slate, while Elle called it “heart-swelling”.
Vulture was also full of praise, writing: “Sentimental Value is about art and history and emotional openness, but it’s more than anything a playful but also wondrously frank exploration of what it actually means to be family.”
Sentimental Value will be released in UK cinemas on 26 December, before coming to Mubi in 2026.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.