Sentimental Value, which is one of the most praised films out of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, would only take home the runner-up prize, the Grand Prix, when Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident edged it out for the Palme d’Or. But it would be The Secret Agent that would be the most awarded film, as it took home both Best Director for Kleber Mendonça Filho and Best Actor for Wagner Moura. Best Actress, meanwhile, went to Nadia Melliti for coming-of-age film The Little Sister. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne would take Best Screenplay, which they previously won for 2008’s Lorna’s Silence.
Neon has now released the trailer for Sentimental Value, which stars Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgärd, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning.
Joachim Trier directs from a script co-written by him and Eskil Vogt. The official synopsis reads, “Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star. Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with their father – and deal with an American star dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics.”
The film was produced by Maria Ekerhovd & Andrea Berensten Ottmar. The trailer is peppered with accolades throughout, with quotes that call it “An absolutely breathtaking piece of filmmaking” and saying this movie is “What all cinema should strive to be.” Next Best Picture is quoted as saying, “This is Stellan Skarsgård’s crowning achievement.”
While Sentimental Value was the runner-up, of note, It Was Just an Accident is the first film with (partly) Iranian backing since Abbas Kiarostami’s remarkable A Taste of Cherry 1997 co-win to take home to Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The film tells of a minor accident that yields consequences that none of the parties could foresee. Director Jafar Panahi has been highly critical of his home country of Iran, facing numerous arrests and even facing charges of propaganda. In his acceptance speech, Panahi bravely called for action, stating in part, “Let’s reach that moment together when no one dares to tell us what we should completely include, what we should say, what we shouldn’t do… Cinema is a society. No one has the right to tell us what you should do, what you shouldn’t do.” The film will be also be distributed by Neon, who, with this win, has linked itself to the Palme d’Or winners six years in a row.
