Character Relationship Map: Sentimental Value

Characters

• Gustav Borg (played by Stellan Skarsgård) — protagonist

  Gustav is a film director whose divorce from Sissel and long absences damaged his relationship with Nora and Agnes. Returning to reclaim the family home, he struggles with drinking, declining career p...

• Rachel Kemp (played by Elle Fanning) — supporting

  Rachel is an American actress whom Gustav encounters at the Deauville American Film Festival and casts as Karin after Nora refuses the role. Her star power secures Netflix financing, but she becomes i...

• Erik (played by Øyvind Hesjedal Loven) — supporting

  Erik is Agnes's young son and Gustav's grandson. Gustav connects with him more easily than with his daughters, largely through films, and later casts him in the project without Agnes's permission. Eri...

• Jakob (played by Anders Danielsen Lie) — supporting

  Jakob is Nora's married stage colleague and affair partner. Although he divorces his wife during the story, he still refuses to commit to Nora, deepening her emotional frustration. His relationship wi...

• Peter (played by Lars Väringer) — minor

  Peter is Gustav's longtime cinematographer, whom Gustav visits while seeking collaboration on the new film. Gustav is shocked by Peter's frailty and poor health, a moment that exposes the aging filmma...

• Sissel Borg (played by Ida Marianne Vassbotn Klasson) — minor

  Sissel was Gustav's former wife and the mother who continued raising Nora and Agnes after their troubled marriage ended. She remains an important presence through her death, the daughters' upbringing,...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Gustav Borg → Jakob (Professional Peer) — They are connected indirectly through the daughter's theatrical and romantic situation.

  Jakob is identified as the married colleague with whom one of Gustav's daughters is having an affair.

• Gustav Borg → Peter (Professional Director And Cinematographer) — Peter is an established creative associate from Gustav's professional past.

  Gustav visits his longtime cinematographer Peter to ask for his collaboration on the film.

• Gustav Borg → Rachel Kemp (Professional Director And Actor) — Their creative partnership is important to the attempted production.

  Gustav offers Rachel the role of Karin, and her participation helps secure Netflix financing.

• Gustav Borg → Sissel Borg (Family Former Spouse) — Their failed marriage remains the foundation of the family's unresolved emotional history.

  The plot states that Gustav Borg and Sissel Borg end their troubled marriage after raising their daughters together.

• Gustav Borg → Erik (Family Grandfather) — Gustav connects with Erik more easily than with his adult daughters.

  The plot identifies Erik as the son of one of Gustav's daughters and says Gustav has a better relationship with him.

Story Analysis

A filmmaker confronts inherited trauma and paternal failure through the making of a deeply personal film.

Plot Progression

1. A House Full of Absence — Gustav and Sissel's marriage ends, and Gustav leaves Norway while Sissel raises the family. After Sissel dies, Gustav returns to reclaim the ancestral house.
2. The Father Comes Home — Gustav attempts to reconnect with his adult family but repeatedly fails through emotional insensitivity. His bond with Erik offers a limited form of intimacy through films.
3. A Film Built from Trauma — Gustav develops a script inspired by wartime family trauma and plans to film it in the house. He recruits Rachel, whose international profile secures financing.
4. Collapse Behind the Camera — Production becomes strained by Gustav's resentment, Rachel's insecurity, and conflicts over casting. Rachel leaves, and Gustav collapses after a drunken outburst.
5. The Script Opens the Wound — A family investigation reveals the connection between inherited trauma and Gustav's regrets. The script becomes a possible route toward mutual understanding.
6. A Final Take Together — Gustav sells the family home to finance the production. On a recreated set, Erik participates in the climactic scene, followed by a silent moment of understanding.