NEW YORK — Joachim Trier, Stellan Skarsgård and Renata Reinswe gathered backstage at the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. A screen on the wall shows the crowd inside, raptly watching the film Sentimental Value. They all deliberately sat down, turning away from the movie.
But if there's one moment in the film that they sometimes sneak through, it's the final scene. At festivals they would sometimes go on stage to ask a question.&And with tears in my eyes.
“The ending always moves me,” says Skarsgård. “On paper it really scared me. It could be sentimental hell rather than Sentimental Value. It was important to me that nothing was decided. I hate the word closure. There is no end to life. But there is something more beautiful.”
“Sentimental Value,” written and directed by Trier, subtly builds its emotional power through scenes that, like much of the acclaimed Danish-Norwegian director's filmography, pulse with the rhythm of life. By the time the film reaches its crescendo, the simple exchange of glances is enough to touch you to the core.
This effect is not new to fans of Trier's previous films, such as Oslo August 31st or his previous film. “The worst person in the world” which starred Reinsve. But “Sentimental Value,” which Neon opens in theaters Friday, is Trier's unique personal statement that also happens—because it talks so much about the mixing of life and art and how each enriches the other—to resonate deeply with its two stars.
Skarsgård plays respected director Gustav Borg, who has long been separated from his family. But after the death of his ex-wife, Borg returns to the lives of his daughters Nora (Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleas). Like her father, Nora is tough and stubborn, and her outlet is performing. Gustav wants her to star in his new, highly autobiographical film, a project that also attracts the interest of an American starlet (Elle Fanning).
Both Reinsve and Skarsgård bear direct resemblance to their characters. Reinswe, 37, made his breakthrough in The Worst Man in the World. Skarsgård, 74, is the father of eight children, many of whom are actors. But “Sentimental Value” Winner of the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.has deeper consequences for them and for Trier. In a conversation that, like one of Trier's films, included hugs, tears and gratification, the three began thinking about making a film that straddles the line between life and fiction.
REINSVE: It was nerve-wracking for me because he knows me so well. I didn't know what he was going to find. He is very smart and very wise, so what he finds is probably true.
TRIER: We are interested in revealing something in art. So you might think I know too well what to do, but it's a compliment to these actors that they are able to take control and mastery and yet (laughs) get upset in an unusual way in front of the camera. You want it. You crave it. What, you were afraid that I would reveal something you don't want to show?
REINSVE: Yes.
TRIER: But you are so brave.
REINSVE: But with you I became brave. In the theater I worked on many characters that I built and constructed. You make it a big deal for the audience. When you played Julie in The Worst Person in the World, you told me to give it up. I remember one of our first conversations, I was worried because I didn’t know how to build it. And you said, “But do you need it? Can't you just find it in yourself?” It was so scary for me.
SKARSGAARD: In a way it's flattering, but you're not sure it's flattering. The character on paper was not actually who he is in the film. I remember saying to you, “Can’t you handle your daddy issues?”
TRIER: And I said (in a deliberately raspy voice), “I’m above them!”
SKARSGAARD: The character's harsh traits were very evident in the script, but not the compassion.
TRIER: When you came to this, it solved the problem. I mean, character is something that happens to actors.
SKARSGAARD: Oh, that's the best.
TRIER: We love this scene.
REINSVE: Before I started working with Joachim, I played a lot of characters who kept their emotions inside and couldn't let them out. Joachim gained this trust because of the way he worked and the way he saw people. It was safe to release something there. He sits next to the camera and whispers. He can use acting instinct. I'm a person or an actor who experiences a lot of resistance, and it's good for the character's dynamics. But it can also prevent you from letting go of what you need. Joachim sits there and knows what the actor wants to do and says, “Let yourself do it.” It feels like we're doing this together.
SKARSGAARD: I've always seen acting as a way to do something that you can't do in your personal life. In some ways I'm quite reserved. I!
REINSVE: Not with us.
TRIER: I heard you say that!
SKARSGAARD: But it's great to have art like this where you can check everything. Can I feel it? Wow! Yeah! It's like a child playing in a sandbox. It's the same mechanism. They play with other people from day one. Perhaps this is an evolutionary path: to imitate adults in order to survive.
REINSVE: We are still children imitating adults.
TRIER: It's funny because a lot of people have trouble creating personal art. They sing a strange, sensual love song in a group and are embarrassed that their parents will hear it. Or you write a book that is transgressive. I'm the opposite. I'm very proud to make personal films because my children will see them. Maybe they'll see them and think they're stupid or my opinion is weird. That's fine, but that was me. I think this film came out of a mood in my life where I was thinking about these things.
TRIER: That's when I realized I had a film I wanted to make, and I had the idea to finish it. We were all nervous about it. Last day of filming. I'm so proud of you two. My dream has come true.
SKARSGARD: I'm glad you say I have rhythm, because I really care about rhythm. Scenes are like pieces of music to me. He wrote it for me and (expletive) and saw what I was craving: the play between the lines. (Skarsgard begins to cry.) I'm starting to worry.
TRIER: I think you're incredibly smart at writing scripts, so much so that I was nervous going into it. You are very straightforward and very warm. You say “(expletive) this” or “You don't need this.”
SKARSGAARD: It's allowed to make a film that isn't written in the director's head. He explores it. There is nothing like it. (Skarsgård becomes agitated again before shaking his head.) Enough!
REINSVE: Here it is. I feel like this moment has come. It brings to the surface what we crave. The human mind needs to create a narrative and make things black or white to protect itself. This is the problem of the world – such polarization. Wisdom is about being safe enough to create space to allow anything to happen and to see the nuances between people. There are no sets like Joachim's sets. This is a process – what is it? Art creates life, imitates…
SKARSGAARD: You never get it right.
REINSVE: I never get it right. But it goes both ways! Here art imitates life, life imitates art. It goes both ways.
