Sentimental Value – An Insightful Foreign Drama, Marketed As A Hollywood Family Drama 

By:Dominic La-Viola

“Sentimental Value” is an insightful and very painstaking look into the lives of generations of a family, brilliantly using the family house as the centerpiece and at times as a narrator without a voice. 

Upon first seeing trailers for the film, they were all very much montage clips with a smooth, yet upbeat soundtrack. Completely masking the true nature of the film. 

Which is only doing a disservice to the film, for the viewer is blindsided by this artistic, intelligent, and intellectual film that dives deeper than most feel comfortable with, all while being more artistic than your average moviegoer is going to enjoy.

The film has very distinctive, with an ending that isn’t clear-cut and open. Leaving questions unanswered and the audience left with more questions and uncertainties than mainstream films often do. 

All of which are open to your interpretation on some of the hows, whys, and whens of it all. 

For the film not only offers this unique insight and deep dive into the lives of two sisters on the front, while also providing backstory into the previous generations. Including, including their filmmaker father. Whom wasn’t always around and doesn’t apologize for it. Not in the sense in which you or they would expect.

The film not only deals with, but covers topics in which at times are hard to not only relate to, but to stomach. Yet the beauty of this film is it pulls no punches and doesn’t try to wrap things up nicely and  tie a bow on top. 

While the storyline is entirely story-driven, with performances being one of the primary drivers of the film, carrying it almost entirely, not for any other reason than that’s the way the story is written and what the film is built around.

Nevertheless, even with these performances being the frontier of the film. Other great attributes are there, holding their own throughout the entire film. Just waiting to be noticed.

Like the direction, for example. It’s so subtle, yet incredibly powerful and well executed throughout the entire film.  Giving us a film that is perfectly balanced both in tone and pacing. Something that nominally stands out, yet I believe in this film. It takes a secondary role to the performances and at times is even overshadowed by them.

For the performances, they are not over the top, but are divine and beautiful. Creating and adding to the narrative that is, and at times isn’t there. 

While the editing seems blocky at times, something that many would consider to be amateur and sloppy, it offers a unique transition between scenes, due to the heavy subject matter of the film and its overall tense of lack thereof. Creating lifelike moments instead of scenes in a movie. 

A lot like the moments and motivations in the film. Everything feels authentic and unique while having a sense of familiarity. With an ending that doesn’t offer a magic solution, but insightful grace. 

Overall Rating 4.5/5 Stars