Since his first feature length film, Reprise (2006), Joachim Trier has focused on people who, at first, seem put together but feel unsure inside. His characters are often young writers, students, or couples trying to make sense of their lives, whilst quietly worrying that they are falling behind. These feelings aren’t shown as big dramatic problems, but as something ordinary, woven into daily conversations and moments of silence.
In his most recent release, Sentimental Value, Trier continues in the same way. The film looks at family relationships, the things people avoid saying, and how past choices still affect the present. It also shows how hard it can be to say what we really want. By keeping everything subtle and realistic, Trier’s films feel close to real life, helping viewers see themselves in small familiar situations rather than large dramatic events.
Sentimental Value tackles Trier’s usual themes of family, fragile relationships, and personal transformation. It follows two sisters, Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), as their estranged father, Gustav, (Stellan Skarsgard) comes crashing back into their lives in an attempt to repair their fractured familial bonds. Trier also returns to his usual setting with the film being both set and filmed in Oslo, his home city. As in his other films, this cold dark setting further contributes to the melancholy felt throughout his canon. And beyond the central plotline of family troubles, other stories intertwine and weave their way through the plot, once again touching on familiar themes of infidelity, trauma, and profound sorrow. A final aspect of Trier’s canon which continues throughout is his cast, with two of the film’s central cast members, Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie, having played major roles in Trier’s other works.
This continuation of cast, tone, setting, and theme helps to create an emotional continuity across his work, where each film feels connected to the last without ever becoming repetitive. Rather than reinventing himself with every project, Trier refines the same concerns from different angles, allowing characters, places, and feelings to echo across his films. For the viewer, this creates the sense of returning to a familiar world that evolves subtly over time.
Prior to his latest film, Trier released what has become known as The Oslo Trilogy, a series of films – Reprise, Oslo August 31st, and The Worst Person in the World – all set in the Norwegian capital. Although all stand-alone works, Anders Danielsen Lie takes on the leading role, and the familiar themes and dilemmas play out in each. His 2006 release, Reprise, centres around two young novelists struggling to get their careers off the ground while managing tumultuous relationships. His 2011 work, Oslo August 31st, undertakes an even deeper examination of the human condition as it follows a single day in the life of a heroin addict, dealing with issues including addiction, suicide, love, and the creeping fear of being behind in life. And the final piece of the collection, The Worst Person in the World, follows four years of a young woman’s life, again tackling heavy themes of conflict in love, death, and self-doubt.
Trier utilises this trilogy to explore the human condition in an unguarded, deeply personal manner, with a persistent focus on exclusion, both social and emotional, that runs through each film. This sense of exclusion is not limited to being shut out by others, but extends to quieter anxieties, the fear of falling behind, of missing expected milestones, and of existing slightly out of step with the world around you. What really stands out about this collection of films is Trier’s refusal to lean into melodrama. There are moments of tension and even argument – The Worst Person in the World includes several, but they are short-lived and deliberately understated. These scenes rarely explode into anger. Instead, they fade into disappointment, confusion, or quiet regret. By keeping emotional outbursts contained, Trier allows melancholy to take precedence over confrontation, capturing the way conflict often feels in real life.
I think what Trier does best in his films is the way he ensures they closely reflect real life. As an audience, it is easy to see ourselves in his characters because they feel like real people rather than carefully constructed characters. His films are often told in a non-linear way, which mirrors how memory works, especially when it comes to difficult or painful experiences that return unexpectedly. Trier’s characters are ordinary people trying to get by, dealing with relationships, work, and their own uncertainties. By focusing on these small, personal moments, his films feel honest and familiar. That honesty allows viewers to connect naturally with the stories, recognising their own doubts, regrets, and emotions in what unfolds on screen.
Trier’s films are quiet and straightforward, focused on how people actually live and feel. For anyone curious about that kind of storytelling, they’re worth a watch.
Ellie Griffith
qmunicatemagazine.co.uk 