'Sentimental Value' and 'Marty Supreme', highly anticipated films in theatres

The two speak very little to each other, but the chance to get together could be a script the father has written hoping his daughter will accept the lead role.

Sentimental Value' opens beautifully, showing us the frailties of the main character, insecure and hesitant to take the stage before giving the audience of the theatre in which she is playing an unforgettable performance.

It is the basis, and perhaps the heart, of a film that delves deep into the psychology of the relational dynamics at the centre of the narrative, metaphorising everything through a house - not coincidentally full of cracks - that represents the passage of time and the difficulties experienced by the protagonist family.

Mixing Henrik Ibsen (the name Nora immediately recalls 'A Doll's House'), Woody Allen ('Interiors') and, consequently, Ingmar Bergman, Joachim Trier signs an intimate drama about memories, trauma and the possible reconciling power of art.

The screenplay and dialogues are the most valuable elements of the whole operation, although after a first part with great rhythm, the film ends up getting bogged down in a long central fragment where the allegories are rather trivial and the use of flashbacks not always incisive.

In spite of some overabundance and some prolixity, the film nevertheless has an enthralling emotional force and still manages to engage until the successful conclusion. Renate Reinsvee is very good, but she is held up by an extraordinary Stellan Skarsgård in a role that is anything but simple. The supporting cast, however, is also perfectly effective, including Elle Fanning as the young diva who could replace Nora in the project written for her by her father.

'Marty Supreme', on the other hand, marks the return to solo directing for Josh Safide who, together with his brother Benny, has signed such creatively powerful films as 'Good Time' and 'Rough Diamonds'.

Set in 1950s New York, the film recounts the life of ambitious young Marty Mauser, who tries to make it big in the world of table tennis. Working in the backroom of a cobbler's shop, Marty dreams of becoming a star in the burgeoning world of table tennis and patents his own ball, the Marty Supreme, a symbol of his determination and desire to stand out in a world that does not believe in his abilities.

Inspired by the life of Marty Reisman, Safdie gives life to a very frenetic product, strong in its engaging editing and tight dialogues, in which the ping pong ball becomes a metaphor for the life of a protagonist who moves between scams, bets, forbidden passions and dreams of glory, with the absolute objective of making that passion his profession in all respects.

There are some truly remarkable sequences (the first few minutes are extremely creative and incisive), but also some redundancies in the course of the viewing; Josh Safdie shoots well and succeeds in enthralling, if a little too much of a mannerist play compared to the structure of his previous work 'Rough Diamonds'.

Despite this, the film still manages to effectively portray the disintegration of the American dream in the years following the Second World War and finds in Timothée Chalamet the perfect actor to embody the protagonist. The cast also includes, however, Gwyneth Paltrow and director Abel Ferrara, both of whom give fine performances.