Cannes: Why 'Sentimental Value' is being called 'the best film you'll see this year'

Did the Cannes Film Festival save the best for last?

Norwegian Joachim Trier was one of the last directors to debut in this year's main competition, but he is receiving enthusiastic responses for his film Sentimental Value (as yet untitled in Portuguese), starring Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning and Renate Reinsve.

The film, which is about a fractured Norwegian family, is now one of the favorites to take home the coveted Palme d'Or.

The resounding success of the Norwegian film could harm the chances of the Brazilian film The Secret Agent , directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, winning the Cannes award. This would increase the likelihood of the film being nominated for an Oscar in 2026.

The film by the director from Pernambuco was applauded at its premiere in Cannes for 13 minutes.

Actor Stellan Skarsgård was hoarse at the press conference for the Norwegian film, which he attributed to the after-party the night before.

The cast and crew had every reason to celebrate - the film received a 15-minute standing ovation at its world premiere, the longest any film in competition has received this year.

By way of comparison, even Bong Joon Ho's Parasite , which won the Palme and four Oscars, was "only" eight minutes long.

If applause were a thermometer to predict the winner of Cannes, Sentimental Value would be the absolute favorite, although the final decision will be up to the 2025 International Jury and its president, Juliette Binoche.

But the film also has the potential, like last year's winner, Sean Baker's Anora , to strike the balance between auteur cinema, commercial viability and attracting Generation Z to theaters.

Elle Fanning appeared at the press conference wearing a T-shirt that read "Joachim Trier Summer", a reference to British singer Charli XCX's performance at the Coachella festival, where Trier's name appeared among other artists who, according to Charli, would dominate the summer of 2025 in the northern hemisphere.

"I was excited that you did that," Trier told Fanning at the press conference.

"Charli XCX sent us a shout out, and we're so grateful. I love her music, it's incredible. I know Elle is a fan too. The problem is, I've been working so hard the last three years that I don't even know what a 'summer of Joachim Trier' is anymore. But I wish I had one," the director joked.

Fanning, 27, said the Norwegian director was on her "dream list" of filmmakers she wanted to work with.

Trier's ability to communicate with younger generations had already been established with her last feature, The Worst Person in the World , a hit at Cannes in 2021, which earned Reinsve the best actress award and two Oscar nominations.

The film has been described as a perfect portrayal of so-called "millennial angst", as the character Julie tries to balance her career and love life over the course of four years.

Sentimental Value , Trier's sixth film, is set in a beautiful historic house in Oslo, the capital of Norway, designed to be an essential part of the narrative.

It's an intergenerational story about an estranged father, Gustav Borg (Skarsgård), and his two daughters.

The youngest, Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), has a family and a nine-year-old son. The oldest, Nora (Reinsve), is an actress. Gustav is a filmmaker, although he has not directed for some time, and he tries to reconnect with Nora by writing a script for her.

When she rejects the idea, he invites a young Hollywood starlet, Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning), to read the script.

'Tenderness is the new punk'

While the film contains in-jokes about the industry (Gustav gives his nine-year-old grandson a DVD of the erotic drama The Piano Teacher as a gift), the script is being praised for its emotional depth in portraying the bond between sisters Nora and Agnes, and the bittersweet relationship between father and daughter.

The script was co-written by Trier and his longtime writing partner Eskil Vogt.

"A lot of times, families can't talk directly about important things, and we find indirect ways to communicate... Art is a way to express that," Vogt said.

"And this is the best chance this family has to communicate well and resolve their problems, without that cliché family outburst scene."

Trier added: "We wanted to talk about reconciliation, family and time. We are in the middle of life now and have a bigger perspective on human existence."

"Often, inside any complicated father, there is a wounded child. And we see this in the character of Gustav Borg. Even though he is a complicated father, because he is an artist, he has two languages. We wanted to talk about the vulnerability of communication and see if art could help with that," said the filmmaker.

Some critics are already calling Sentimental Value "the best movie you'll see this year," and in the United States the film's rights have been acquired by Neon, an independent producer and distributor with an impressive track record of hits, including Parasite , Titane , Triangle of Sadness , Anatomy of a Fall and Anora , all Palme d'Or winners.

Even if Sentimental Value doesn't take home the top prize at Cannes this Saturday (5/24), its inclusion in the festival is already a strong indication of success in awards season.

Last year, Cannes premiered several Oscar nominees and winners, such as the Mexican musical Emilia Peréz , Coralie Fargeat's body horror The Substance , and the Latvian animation Flow , as well as Anora .

Ultimately, Sentimental Value 's longevity will depend on how well it resonates with audiences.

But in times of global political and social turmoil, perhaps a film centered on family reconciliation is in tune with the spirit of the moment.

"I need to believe that we can see each other, that there is a sense of reconciliation," Trier said. "Polarization, anger and sexism are not the way."

Succinctly, he concluded: "Tenderness is the new punk."

He explained: "We come from a punk background, me and Eskil. We were counterculture, we didn't want to make sappy films. But we realized, over time, that we get older and that the world is a place where we can be vulnerable."