Critical Darlings: Sentimental Value and Belated Oscar Breakthroughs with Joe Reid

Feb 26, 2026

Joe Reid, Vulture journalist and host of This Had Oscar Buzz, digs into Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value and its surprising Oscar surge. They trace why auteurs’ follow-ups sometimes get awards love after early snubs. Short takes on international visibility, acting race volatility, and which buzzy films fizzled this year.

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INSIGHT

Films About Filmmaking Attract Awards Attention Without Guaranteeing Wins

Movies about filmmaking don't statistically guarantee Oscars, but they get heightened attention and sometimes craft-friendly nominations.
The panel references Mank, The Artist, and other 'movies-about-movies' moments that attract industry voters and craftsmanship awards.

INSIGHT

Familiarity Fuels Oscar Momentum

Familiarity with a filmmaker matters hugely in Oscar recognition; voters are likelier to support names they already know.
Attention snowballs: festival praise and time increase awareness, turning past overlooked films into future Oscar prospects.

ADVICE

Use Festivals And Early Buzz To Force Voter Attention

To build awards momentum, seek visibility through festivals and intermediary attention sources like the Golden Globes to get voters to actually watch your film.
Joe Reid and hosts note that early screeners and festival buzz give smaller films a chance to snowball into wider recognition.

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This week we’re in hygge mode, uncovering traumas in our generational home with the host of This Had Oscar Buzz, Joe Reid! One of the breakout Oscar films of the year is Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, a warm, realist Norwegian film about a difficult but brilliant director (Stellan Skarsgard), his two daughters (Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), and an American actress cast in the auteur’s new film (Elle Fanning). All four performances earned Oscar nominations, along with nominations for Best Picture, Best International Feature, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Screenplay.

Sentimental Value also highlights a recurring phenomenon in Hollywood, wherein the Academy will pass over a director’s breakout film but shower the follow-up with nominations. In Trier’s case, his previous film The Worst Person in the World received nominations for Best International Film and Original Screenplay but, in our opinion, deserved many more. We try to break down how and why this happens, whether films about filmmaking have an innate appeal to Oscar voters, how Fanning’s star power helps bridge the international gap for voters, and the film itself, including its deft intermingling of artistic expression and sublimated generational trauma.

With Joe's guidance, we also check in on some of the Oscar-buzziest films of the year that didn't pan out, check in on the state of the acting category race and some potential upsets, and celebrate The Secret Agent's breakout star Tânia Maria and her new role as Burger King spokeswoman.

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