THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

Am I a little bit cuckoo for scheduling a 9:35am showing of Sentimental Value ahead of my 12:40pm showing of Hamnet at the same theater? Yes, but that’s not my fault; if Cinemark had offered reasonable times to see this film, I would’ve gone at a reasonable time, but alas. I’ve gotten behind on my international films this year, so I was glad to take in (and really like) seemingly one of the only shoe-ins for a Best Picture nomination this year.

The story at the center of Sentimental Value was equally beautiful and heartbreaking, with a huge emphasis on the sisterly bond between Nora and Agnes. Their relationship was one of the film’s great strengths, and for those who weren’t quite satisfied with the conclusion of Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship in Wicked: For Good, you’ll find just what you’re looking for here. Nora, being at the center of the story, had much more of her trauma on display in the film, but the moments when Agnes cracked—namely the scene with her dad and Erik and the final sequence with Nora in the bedroom—were powerful and touching.

Unpacking the mounds of generational trauma in the Borg family was quite the undertaking for these actors, but the four leads—Reinsve, Skarsgård, Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Fanning—delivered. Each of their performances were the best I’ve seen from them, and I was particularly impressed by Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, whose chemistry with Renate Reinsve was lovely and whose character broke many of the chains of generational trauma in her family. I was also surprised by Elle Fanning’s acting chops; if I had to pick a Best Supporting Actress nominee from this film, I think I’d still pick Ibsdotter Lilleaas, but it’d be a tough choice.

I really enjoyed how this film and its characters used art as a means of exploring suppressed emotions and finding ways to move forward. Whether it was Gustav writing his next movie with his daughter in mind as a way to reenter her life, or Nora finding some comfort in becoming other people on the stage, I’m glad that more people, by seeing this movie, can recognize the transformational power of art. The final scene was especially striking, because for a moment, I didn’t realize Nora was on a sound stage. The sigh of relief I took when I saw those blue screens? Huge.

Sentimental Value was yet another great international film that I would have never stumbled across if it weren’t for my whirlwind romance with film that’s developed greatly over the last three years. Though I wouldn’t consider it the very best international film I’ve seen at this point—there’s still so much I haven’t seen—it’s certainly one of the year’s best, it deserves its seat at the Best Picture table, and I’m glad that this film got to be the center of my universe for a minute. It was just that, until Hamnet started 45 minutes later (in the very same auditorium, by the way)!