Sentimental Value – Sunday 18th January 2026

I remember seeing Joachim Trier’s last film, ‘The Worst Person in the World’ and not immediately liking it, despite the critical acclaim. It lived with me, and even though I haven’t revisited it, my opinion towards it has grown to appreciation; in it, he perfectly captures the modern day European woman.

‘Sentimental Value’ has received even more praise from critics and audiences alike, and my immediate reaction to it is that it’s good. It didn’t blow me away, or move me emotionally, but the characters are likeable and they enjoy a good character arc.

My experience of Scandinavian people is limited to those that I have met in London, so I could be generalizing, but they appear quite cold emotionally, and this definitely comes across in the movie. There seems to be very little warmth between the characters; the sisters are distant, the parents are distant from their children, even the romantic relationships seem formal. That makes the characters hard to empathize with and the film difficult to relate to, which is why I really didn’t feel anything throughout it, even though it’s about an aged film director.

Joachim Trier seems to be a great observer of life, and he really captures how different people are, compared to previous generations. The fact that at a children’s party, there are more adults than there are children is something I’ve noticed in my own family functions, and it’s tragic. When I was a kid, children vastly outnumbered the adults and it was so much fun! Adults nowadays don’t even want each other, let alone want kids! This isn’t the focus of the film, but it’s there if you notice it.

All the actors do a fine job, and Stellan Skarsgård in particular, never disappoints. It’s a decent film, but as I said, I wasn’t moved by it, and it definitely didn’t make me feel sentimental.