Three New Films Examine Toxic Father-Daughter Dynamics in the Art World
Three films from 2025–2026 explore the dynamics between estranged daughters and their father figures in the film industry. In Sentimental Value, directed by Joaquim Trier, Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård) seeks to cast his daughter Nora (Renate Reinsve) in a movie about his mother’s suicide, all while evading his shortcomings as a parent. Rodrigo Sorogoyen's The Beloved showcases Esteban Martinez (Javier Bardem), who, after leaving his daughter Emilia (Victoria Luengo), pressures her to join his film, instilling fear in the cast. Meanwhile, Paweł Pawlikowski's Fatherland, set in 1949, portrays novelist Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller) as they navigate familial trauma. Each narrative underscores daughters confronting their fathers' self-centeredness, signaling a cultural evolution in the perception of male creators.
Key facts
- Three films released in 2025–2026 focus on difficult fathers and their daughters: Sentimental Value, The Beloved, and Fatherland.
- Sentimental Value is directed by Joaquim Trier and stars Stellan Skarsgård as Gustav Borg and Renate Reinsve as Nora.
- The Beloved is directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen and stars Javier Bardem as Esteban Martinez and Victoria Luengo as Emilia.
- Fatherland is directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and stars Hanns Zischler as Thomas Mann and Sandra Hüller as Erika Mann.
- Fatherland is set in 1949 during Thomas Mann's first trip back to Germany since fleeing fascism.
- In The Beloved, Esteban forces his cast to repeat a dinner party scene and makes Emilia eat until she is almost sick.
- In Sentimental Value, Gustav wants Nora to play a role inspired by his mother's suicide.
- The films reflect shifting societal expectations of male artists and fathers, and all three are directed by men.
Entities
Artists
- Joaquim Trier
- Rodrigo Sorogoyen
- Paweł Pawlikowski
- Thomas Mann
- Hanns Zischler
- Sandra Hüller
- Stellan Skarsgård
- Renate Reinsve
- Javier Bardem
- Victoria Luengo
- Virginia Woolf
- William Shakespeare
- Erika Mann
- Klaus Mann
Institutions
- AnOther Magazine
Locations
- Germany