Movie review
August 20, 2025 · 133 min · R · Norwegian
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Pure arthouse family drama with zero lectures. Two Norwegian sisters hash out old wounds with their deadbeat filmmaker dad, who turns their family trauma into his comeback movie and hands the lead role to a Hollywood actress instead. It’s all generational grief, art-as-therapy, and quiet Norwegian melancholy—no identity swaps, no “strong woman” sermons, no modern politics. Trier just tells a human story and walks away. Exactly the kind of low-key European flick that skips the agenda entirely.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Sentimental Value.
Woke representation / casting
Natural Norwegian-heavy cast; Elle Fanning’s role is plot-driven Hollywood satire, not a messaging choice.
Woke political dialogue
None reported; film stays strictly personal and familial.
Identity-driven story themes
Zero—trauma is generational and universal, not tied to race, gender, or modern identity.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Mild, light-touch Hollywood satire via the Netflix-financed comeback film; nothing systemic or activist.
Woke character or canon changes
Original screenplay, no remakes or canon to alter.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Complete absence; acclaim only.
Creator track record context
Trier’s films are psychological and humanist; mild progressive comments on set culture don’t bleed into the work itself.
Production
