#TIFF25: “SENTIMENTAL VALUE” REVIEW

By Nicholas Porteous

Joachim Trier‘s follow-up to his modern classic The Worst Person in the World reunites him with Renate Reinsve, this time playing Actress Nora Borg, who struggles to communicate with her Filmmaker father, Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård). He’s written a part for her in his long-awaited next film that has the potential to confront their shared, familial trauma. The only problem–Reinsve refuses to work with him, so Hollywood Actor Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning) takes on the role in her place.

The world of Sentimental Value–full of imagined movies, stage productions, festivals, social media accounts–is gorgeously-rendered, and feels like a living, breathing place. Trier does a great job blurring the line between reality and in-world fiction with some notable fakeouts I wouldn’t dare spoil.

There’s been talk of Oscar nominations for Skarsgård and Reinsve. Both performances are engrossing, complex and deeply felt. It’s a solid bet they could rise to such acclaim. The real star of Sentimental Value, however, is its paradoxical exploration of art and artists—How Theatre and Film can create a safe environment for profound and needed personal expression, and simultaneously serve as a toxic barrier, preventing that same expression outside the confines of imagined circumstances. If Art represents the only available platform for tackling spiritual baggage, does that also make it a cage?

Some of the dialogue can feel like a placeholder–particularly in regards to the Elle Fanning thread, and the relationship between Reinsve and a stage manager. The Movie can also be guilty of playing into the Tortured Artist trope—lightly implying that real-life agony makes for better Art. Ultimately, Sentimental Value digs deeper than that, and I’ll be pondering many of its beautiful ambiguities long after TIFF is over.

Sentimental Value screens at TIFF ’25:

Thurs. Sept 4 at 9:30 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Fri. Sept 5 at 6:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto