Joachim Trier's 'Sentimental Value' sends Cannes swooning

CANNES, France (AP) — It took nearly until the end of the festival, but the Cannes Film Festival has its first outright sensation.

Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” premiered Wednesday night to the kind of rapturous response that Cannes is fabled for. The film, starring Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning, marked Trier's follow-up to his lauded 2021 film “The Worst Person in the World.”

There’s stagecraft that goes into Cannes’ famous standing ovations, which makes the timed applause reports an often inaccurate reflection of how movies are received at the festival. But the thunderous ovation for “Sentimental Value,” at 15 minutes, was the most rousing of any film in Cannes by a large margin.

“What’s that Buñuel quote? ‘I make films for my friends?’” Trier said, addressing the crowd. “I feel you’re all my friends tonight.”

Trier’s remark, while Fanning wiped away tears, was a poignant reference to “Sentimental Value.”

Reinsve, who starred in “The Worst Person in the World,” plays the actor daughter of a well-regarded filmmaker, Gustav (Skarsgård), who has put moviemaking before parenting most of their lives. When he writes a script for her, she immediately refuses. Gustav instead casts a young Hollywood star (Fanning).

Much of the film is set around their old family home in Oslo, in which Gustav wants to make his film. As “Sentimental Value” proceeds, it gently unveils questions of family and home that have as much to do with artmaking as for fathers and daughters.

After Charli xcx concluded her Coachella set with a screen declaring, among others, a “Joachim Trier Summer,” Fanning sported a shirt with that phrase Thursday in Cannes. But Trier may have coined a new slogan for shirts, himself: “Tenderness is the new punk.”

Trier explained to reporters how he and co-writer Eskil Vogt came from a punk background and were initially hesitant to make “sobby movies.”

“But we realized through the films we’ve made that we’ve grown older and the world is a tough place, and maybe we need to be vulnerable and show characters that are vulnerable,” said the Norwegian director. “So we kind of came to the conclusion that tenderness is the new punk. For me, it is. It’s what I need right now — I need to believe that we can see the other, that there is a sense of reconciliation, that polarization and machismo isn’t the only way forward.”

The debut of “Sentimental Value” immediately made Trier’s film a contender, if not the clear favorite, for Cannes’ top award, the Palme d’Or. Should “Sentimental Value” win on Saturday, when Cannes draws to a close, it would extend the indie distributor Neon’s unprecedented streak of Palme d’Or wins. Neon has backed the last five Palme d’Or winners in Cannes, including last year’s Oscar-winning “Anora.” This year, it also acquired another film that could be in the mix, Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent.”

Should “Sentimental Value” win over the jury headed by Juliette Binoche, it would be the first Norwegian film to win the Palme d’Or.

For more coverage of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/cannes-film-festival

Elle Fanning poses for photographers at the photo call for the film 'Sentimental Value' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Thursday, May 22, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Director Joachim Trier poses for photographers at the photo call for the film 'Sentimental Value' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Thursday, May 22, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Anders Danielsen Lie, third from left, Elle Fanning, Stellan Skarsgard, director Joachim Trier and Renate Reinsve pose for photographers upon departure from the premiere of the film 'Sentimental Value' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Photo by Lewis Joly/Invision/AP)

Renate Reinsve poses for photographers upon departure from the premiere of the film 'Sentimental Value' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Director Joachim Trier, left, and Renate Reinsve pose for photographers at the photo call for the film 'Sentimental Value' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Thursday, May 22, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't scoring the way he usually does, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are still winning the way they normally do.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, averaged 31.1 points during the regular season. In the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers, he is averaging 20 points and taking only 14 shots per game.

Oklahoma City has still won the first two games by an average of 18 points. Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scored 22 points, and the defending champion Thunder beat the Lakers 125-107 on Thursday night.

Ajay Mitchell, starting in place of injured Jalen Williams, is averaging 19 points on 50% shooting in the series for Oklahoma City.

“I think the coaching staff does a good job at just getting all of us ready,” said Mitchell, a second-year guard. "And we have a lot of competitors. Like, everyone’s a competitor on our team. So every time the lights are bright, everyone’s ready to go.”

Holmgren is the leading scorer for the Thunder in the best-of-seven series with 23 points per game. The 2026 All-Star also is averaging 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

Jared McCain, a midseason acquisition from the Philadelphia 76ers, barely played in the first round against Phoenix but has averaged 15 points and made 8 of 10 3-pointers in the series.

“He goes in there, stays in character, stays aggressive," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "He’s going to shoot the next shot. He makes the right plays, plays inside the team. He competes defensively, has had good defensive possessions for us. And he was huge tonight. You need that in a playoff series.”

The Lakers again were without scoring champion Luka Doncic, who is out indefinitely with a strained left hamstring. They also were missing forward Jarred Vanderbilt, the reserve forward who dislocated the pinkie on his right hand during the second quarter of Game 1. The Lakers had three players finish with five fouls, limiting their aggressiveness late in the game.

Los Angeles guard Austin Reaves, who struggled with his shot in Game 1, scored 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting in Game 2. LeBron James, coming off a 27-point effort in Game 1, followed that up with 23.

With the Lakers up 63-61 early in the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander got tied up with Reaves and was called for his fourth foul. Upon review, it was upgraded to a flagrant 1 for Gilgeous-Alexander's follow through. Oklahoma City's Alex Caruso was called for a technical foul as the situation was being sorted out.

Gilgeous-Alexander left the game with the Lakers up 65-61, but the Thunder rallied and took control without him. On a fast break, Holmgren found a trailing Jaylin Williams, who hit a 3-pointer and was fouled. His free throw put the Thunder up 85-74.

The Thunder outscored the Lakers 32-15 while Gilgeous-Alexander was out in the third quarter to take a 93-80 lead into the fourth.

“It was amazing," Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They strung together stops, they’re playing the right way offensively and things are going their way. Full confidence in those guys. They know how to win basketball games. And we've proven that. They’ve proven that no matter who’s on the floor, they know how to get the job done. And they just did it again tonight."

The Lakers cut Oklahoma City's lead to five in the fourth quarter before the Thunder pulled away again.

Los Angeles will host Game 3 on Saturday.

“We just stuck with it,” Holmgren said. “It’s the game of basketball. It’s not always going to go your way. It’s about how you respond. And this team has proven many times that we know how to respond. And we did so tonight.”

This story has been corrected to show that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 20, not 19, points per game against the Lakers.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren (7) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves (15) in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, front, works for a shot as Los Angeles Lakers' Austin Reaves, rear, defends in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James stands on the court in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket past Los Angeles Lakers' Deandre Ayton (5) and LeBron James, rear, in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) works to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) in the second half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)