Cannes Film Festival’s Rising Star: Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” Wins Hearts and Eyes Palme d’Or

Did the Cannes Film Festival save the best for last? Norwegian director Joachim Trier is one of the last to show a film in the main competition this year. His movie, Sentimental Value, stars Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, and Renate Reinsve. It tells the story of a broken Norwegian family. The film is now a favorite to win the top prize, the Palme d'Or.

Actor Stellan Skarsgård had a hoarse voice at the film’s press talk. He said it was because of the party after the premiere. The cast and crew had a good reason to celebrate. The film got a 15-minute standing ovation at its world premiere. This is the longest applause at Cannes this year. For comparison, Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite got only eight minutes when it won the Palme d’Or.

If applause shows which film might win, Sentimental Value is the clear front-runner. But the jury, led by Juliette Binoche, will decide the winner. The film may also do well with both critics and young viewers. Elle Fanning wore a T-shirt at the press talk that said "Joachim Trier Summer." This was a shout-out from singer Charli XCX, who named Trier in her Coachella show. Trier said he loved Charli XCX’s music and was happy about the shout-out. Elle Fanning said Trier was on her list of directors she wanted to work with. Trier’s last film, The Worst Person in the World, was a hit at Cannes in 2021. It won Renate Reinsve a best actress prize and was nominated for two Oscars. That film showed the troubles young people face in love and work.

Sentimental Value is Trier’s sixth movie. It takes place in a beautiful old house in Oslo. The house is part of the story. The film is about three family members: Gustav Borg (played by Skarsgård), and his two daughters. Agnes, the younger daughter, has a family and a nine-year-old son. Nora, the older daughter, is an actor. Gustav, the father, is a filmmaker but hasn’t made a movie in a while. He tries to fix his relationship with Nora by writing a script for her. When she refuses, he asks a young Hollywood star, Rachel Kemp (played by Elle Fanning), to read it.

The film has jokes about the movie world. For example, Gustav gives his grandson a DVD of the movie The Piano Teacher for his ninth birthday. But the script is praised for showing deep feelings. It shows the close bond between the sisters and the sad, mixed feelings between Nora and her father. Trier wrote the script with his longtime partner, Eskil Vogt.

Trier said at Cannes, "We wanted to tell a story about making up, family, and time. We see life differently now. We know that even tough parents have their own hurts. Gustav is a tough father, but he is also an artist with two ways of speaking. We wanted to show how hard it is to talk in families and how art can help."

Vogt added, "Families often can’t talk about big things directly. We use other ways to show our feelings. Art is a way to do that. It helps the family talk and solve problems, not by shouting but in other ways."

Some critics say Sentimental Value may be the best film you see this year. In the US, the film was bought by Neon, a company known for picking award-winning films like Parasite, Titane, and Anora. Even if the film doesn’t win the top prize at Cannes, being shown there usually means it will do well during awards season.

In today’s world, full of conflict, a film about family healing may feel right. Trier said, "I want to believe we can understand each other and make peace. Anger and tough attitudes are not the answer."

He ended by saying, "Tenderness is the new punk." He explained, "Eskil and I come from punk backgrounds. We didn’t want to make soft movies. But now we are older. We see that being open and tender is strong."