Joachim Trier, the guest on this episode of The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast, which was recorded in front of film students at Chapman University, is one of the world’s greatest working filmmakers. A 51-year-old Danish-Norwegian writer and director, he has been described by the New York Times as “sensationally talented,” “a meticulous craftsman,” and “incapable of making an ugly image.”
Trier was, until recently, best known for his “Oslo trilogy” — comprising 2006’s Reprise, 2011’s Oslo, August 31st and 2021’s The Worst Person in the World — each installment of which he directed and co-wrote with Eskil Vogt; is set in Norway’s capital; explores memory, identity and time; centers on upper-middle-class, intelligent, but self-doubting protagonists; and stars the actor Anders Danielsen Lie.
Four years after The Worst Person in the World was recognized with the Cannes Film Festival’s best actress prize for leading lady Renate Reinsve (who also appeared briefly in Oslo, August 31st) and with Oscar nominations for best international feature and best original screenplay, Trier returned with Sentimental Value, a film about the complicated relationship between two sisters who were raised together in the same old home in Oslo (Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) and their filmmaker father who left them and that home when they were young (Stellan Skarsgård) but returned to it following the death of their mother.
Sentimental Value had its world premiere at last May’s Cannes Film Festival, where it received a 19-minute standing ovation and was awarded the festival’s Grand Prize. It subsequently won European Film Awards for best European film, director and screenplay and the BAFTA Award for best film not in the English language. And it was nominated for the Golden Globes for best picture (drama), director, screenplay and non-English-language film; the BAFTA Awards for best film, director and original screenplay; and the Critics Choice Awards for best picture, director and original screenplay.
Meanwhile, still pending for the film is a nomination for the top Producers Guild Award, to say nothing of nine Oscar nominations — a tally exceeded by only three non-English-language films ever — including best picture, international feature and film editing; one for each of the film’s four of its principal stars; and two for Trier, best director and original screenplay, the latter shared with Vogt.
For an in-depth discussion of the filmmaker’s life, films and worldview, be sure to check out the audio near the top of this post!