Apart from royal patronage for Shakespeare, official endorsement for the most popular artist has been rare. Since the birth of democracy in Athens, few regimes have actually promoted the expression of truth, even in drama. Enter the Cannes Film Festival, and once again — how corny — the film that receives the longest standing ovation is not chosen as the grand prize winner.
Joachim Trier‘s vivid cinematic offering, Sentimental Value, arrives at a pivotal moment. The highly acclaimed director and screenwriter invites audiences to ponder not only the intricate dynamics of a family grappling with an absent artist father, but also the very essence of communication and value, including democratic value.
Sentimental Value won the Grand Prix, the second most prestigious prize at Cannes. It explores themes of communication, memory, the sentimental value of objects beyond the criteria of capitalistic pricing — and fittingly, of Palme d’Ors: how art provides an indirect means of connecting and resolving such unspoken issues.
As it depicts the family coping with the void left by their artist father, it delves into the vulnerability of family dynamics, often using the house as a silent witness to their struggles. In a vocabulary of images, the film speaks to us in symbols on an archetypical level that pushes the boundaries of filmmaking.
Not all truths are spoken directly; sometimes meaning arises from subtle gesture. One moment, a vase is rescued mid-fall. Then, the vase is forgotten about and carried out into the yard like a lame appendage, dramatizing an outside threat to the family’s land, and the furnishings at stake, as an extension of self.
Lamb to the slaughter
The film journeyed through the Cannes Film Festival, from its premiere screening followed by the extended ovation. The 19-minute record set, it then went on to its reception by the jury for deliberation, until the festival’s closing ceremony, when the no-Palme-d’Or decision was announced.
Whereas the film cast had walked peacefully down the tapis rouge, just as audiences enjoy the freedom of walking down peaceful streets, at least the ones who live in monarchies — not so much in branded democracies of the day…well, what can you expect? One got the feeling that the winner had already been picked in advance.
Democratic verdict: longest ovation vs. jury vote
The Cannes Film Festival, a beacon of cinematic excellence, vets all of its films for cinematic eminence. Yet, the dichotomy in its recognition keeps leading to the same break-a-leg outcome. The jury picks have a remarkably low correlation with ovation winners. So much so that the Palme d’Or suffers from “grade inflation.” Like an embassy number two, Trier’s 2nd prize is actually worth more than a Palme d’Or.
A film crowned by the jury’s vote represents a curated decision by chosen experts. A form of “representative democracy” similar to the US electoral system, where the chosen few determine what embodies the festival’s ideals.
In contrast, the “longest ovation” is a direct, visceral response from the audience, which includes top filmmakers — a spontaneous, unmediated expression of appreciation. This mirrors the kind of “direct democracy” enjoyed by Switzerland, where the collective voice of the people is immediately heard.
Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value received an extraordinary 19-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. The longest ovation of the festival in almost two decades. Yes, the film still has legs, and did win the Grand Prix, which is the second-most prestigious award at the festival after the Palme d’Or.
Recipe for mediocrity
However, it is not the record-holder for the longest standing ovation in Cannes history. That record belongs to Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, which received a 22-minute standing ovation in 2006. Both films lost the Palme d’Or to war-related movies. In 2006, during gruesome wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon — causing environmental degradation in addition to horrors — the Palme d’Or went to the war film, The Wind That Shakes the Barley.
In a struggle for relevance, the prize only aligns with the longest ovation 4% of the time. It’s been decades since a film received both the longest standing ovation and the Palme d’Or. The last time was 21 years ago in 2004, when Quentin Tarantino was President of the Jury Board: Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 received a 20-minute standing ovation, and went on to win the top prize.
A Palme d’Or doth neither box office sales nor cultural heritage make
Since Shakespeare, judges’ selections have rarely translated into box office sales, throwing into question the artistic heights we are reaching. The distinction between these two forms of acclaim is particularly illuminating for Sentimental Value.
Sentimental Value’s record ovation underscores its ability to resonate emotionally and universally with a wider audience for a reason. Candid insights from its creators and cast offer a fascinating lens through which to consider the theme of reclaimed democracy in artistic expression. An interview with the filmmakers and actors reveals the deeply introspective and democratic ethos at its roots.
Inside Sentimental Value
A recent press conference on the collaborative technique methodized during the making of Sentimental Value featured Trier, long-time collaborator Eskil Vogt, seasoned actors Stellan Skarsgård, Renate Reinsve, and Anders Danielsen Lie, alongside newcomers Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas. It offered a rare glimpse into the heart of the film’s creation.
Director Joachim Trier and screenwriter Eskil Vogt emphasized the film’s origins in their long-standing friendship, and described how they were trying to find out where they were in life. Ideas were not dictated but emerged from a collective introspection, reflecting a willingness to explore and adapt.
The script evolved organically, starting from a personal space and then embracing new elements like the absent father and the house, demonstrating a democratic approach to narrative development. The recurring theme of “indirect ways of communicating” within the film’s narrative — how art becomes the family’s “best shot of communicating well and figuring out their issues” — is in itself a commentary on democratic dialogue.
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The destination is the journey
Sentimental Value emerges not just as a captivating cinematic narrative, but also as a testament to the deeply collaborative process that defines Trier’s work. A tapestry of collaboration, memory, and unspoken truths, “[i]t started with family,” then art, and the echoes of a house, Vogt revealed.
The initial spark was an idea about sisters, with Renate Reinsve in mind, and the intriguing concept of the absent father, who suddenly appears. They wanted to bring out how this core family dynamic, aiming for “reconciliation, family time,” gradually intertwined with the element of art, when the character of the artist father, played by Gustaf Skarsgård, materialized.
Trier elaborated on this fusion, explaining that as they “are kind of grown up now,” they sought to explore the complexities of parenthood and the “wounded child” within every adult. The realization that “creating something is a natural thing for human beings” — a fundamental act akin to a child’s spontaneous dance or drawing — led them to view art as a vital, if indirect, language within the family.
“We never really can speak directly about the important things,” Vogt said; it’s about “how we find indirect ways of communicating.” Art becomes the best way of communicating and addressing family issues, “not by the standard film scene of sitting down and having the blowout and finally reaching the verbal catharsis.”
The house, too, becomes more than just a setting. As Trier revealed, inspired by the sale of his own great-great-grandfather’s house, the dwelling embodies “the specificity of the place as a representation of memory.” Like a character in itself, the house allows them to explore the “lifespan, the witnessing of human life and how quick it goes,” and how previous generations subtly influence the present. The house, therefore, acts as a silent witness and archive of unspoken family history.
Trier explained his directorial philosophy: “My job as a director is to try to create a sense of… taking charge of the character” for the actors. This involves significant personal conversation and time, allowing them to “trigger… emotionality in ways in front of the camera, so that it can be conveyed to others.” He emphasized his pride in the cast, highlighting the “great time” he had working with them.
Renate Reinsve, who won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival (2021) for The Worst Person in the World, also directed and co-written by Trier, reflected on her journey with Trier since The Oslo Trilogy. She praised his unparalleled ability to “create atmosphere on set, that is so easy for us and so easy for these little moments to appear.” She credits the profound scripts by Trier and Vogt, which delve into human psychology “without judgment and so much care and love for these characters.” This environment, she stressed, is essential for “real things to appear,” a testament to Trier’s immense work in building such a platform.
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas recalled her immediate sense of understanding and comfort during her second audition with Trier. She described him as “so alive and present,” making the audition feel “like playing with a child, almost.”
A major inefficiency
As efficiently as most award-winners are forgotten, our true cultural heritage has been untransmitted. Now Sentimental Value emerges from this dysfunction as a deeply personal yet universally resonant peacetime (at least in the kingdom of Norway) film. It is a testament to Joachim Trier’s vision, his profound understanding of human relationships, and his remarkable ability to foster an environment where actors can truly flourish. Through its exploration of family, art, and the higher meaning emanating from the intricate ways we communicate, or fail to, the film promises an intimate and thought-provoking cinematic experience.
Trier has created his own value in this generative work. His chef d’oeuvre, Sentimental Value, invites audiences to piece together its emotional truths, rediscover the priceless value of what’s sentimental, and elevate their own ways of communicating back onto the pedestal.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of Impakter.com — Cover Photo Credit: Christophe Bouillon / Festival de Cannes.
