This is what great European cinema is all about.

Oh, of course Stellan Skarsgård deserved the Palme d'Or for best actor in the last Cannes Film FestivalThis is not about taking away from Wagner Moura's merits, who won this award for The secret agentbut to appreciate a stunning performance that symbolizes something more: the latest example of a great European tradition of mastery and maturity in acting, on par with a Bruno Ganz, of a Michel Piccoli or of one Erland JosephsonNor would it be fair to single him out (even though he gives the performance of his life) and say nothing about the sensational Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, who also reach the peak of their acting careers in Sentimental value

But what makes performances reach these levels of excellence? It's about staging—and visually! The film itself demonstrates that they are different languages—a story while paying attention to all the possible layers of discourse and meaning that can be represented through the expressions and interactions of the characters. Starting with a plot about a veteran and renowned filmmaker who wants to make a film about a murky episode in his own family life, Sentimental value It delves into various themes: it explores narcissism as a toxic personal flaw (the protagonist moves closer to or further away from those around him depending on his immediate interests); it reflects on how a narrative is imposed or how a family's history changes depending on who tells it; and it shows how past wounds heal in different ways depending on the person. For some, it's necessary to represent them as fiction. For others, a shared catharsis with other involved members is necessary (the sequence of the two sisters talking in bed is wonderful).

A nuanced and mature drama where Ibsen and Bergman, Chekhov and the most serious Allen resonate. Joachim Trier I had never before experienced such an exceptional sense of the epic nature of tragic culmination: the final half hour is masterful.