Sentimental Value
Renate Reinsve delivers an astonishingly intimate, up-close and personal performance as stage actress Nora Borg. A depiction of family trauma and estrangement that despite its elevated context is incredibly relatable to the wider audience. Reinsve is phenomenal at portraying a beautiful level of sincerity. There’s a delicate honesty to her emotional responses to the actions of others around her that makes her grief resonate.
Reinsve is superbly supported by a breakthrough performance from Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, a distinct turn from Elle Fanning but most notably a compassionate portrayal of absent father, Gustav Borg, from Stellan Skarsgård. A role that Skarsgård has expressed identifiable similarities to, a conscious perception that bleeds onto the screen. Undeniably charming despite his inwardly, discarded troubles - the most accomplished effort of his esteemed career. What he's able to achieve through facial expressions alone is exceptional.
Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt's screenplay is extraordinary. Encouraging self introspection from the audience. A personal look at the weight sentiment holds in relationships and how that feeling can manifest in an ever-present inanimate object - in the case of Sentimental Value, a family house. A sincerity that carries over to the cinematography within Sentimental Value. The use of sombre, mute tones that ground the imagery in an element of realism allowing stunning, but subdued, pops of colour to standout.
A dream for any cinephile with its technical quality, before even engaging in the plethora of cinematic references. Scenes from Borg's filmography, various readings of a script, stage performances - a story dedicated to actors, directors and members of production. Digs at streaming services and ill-advised film recommendations provide respite from the heavy themes of Sentimental Value making way for a much needed undercurrent of humour. A masterful balance of tenderness and amusement, equivalent to the parallel of familial dynamics.
Comments
Post a Comment