This article is featured in The Senior and is republished with permission.
From Jacob Elordi's double-nod for Frankenstein to Rose Byrne's haunting return in If I had Legs I'd Kick You, Aussie stars are grabbing headlines ahead of the Golden Globes but a lesser known film about messy, family rifts is stealing the hearts of critics and audiences alike.
Sentimental Value is nominated for eight awards at the January 11 ceremony.
The dark horse from Norway tackles a theme many of us know all too well: the painful, and often hopeful attempt to mend a rift between an estranged parent and their adult children.
It's a story about whether it's ever truly too late to say "I'm sorry"-and it might just be the most important film you watch this year.
Australian Psychological Society CEO Dr Zena Burgess told The Senior the topic of the film is universal.
"Families are where we first learn about love, identity, and belonging," she said.
"When these expectations are repeatedly unmet or violated, rifts and estrangement can follow."
Created by Joachim Trier's, the film casts Renate Reinsve (of The Worst Person in the World fame) as Nora, a celebrated stage actor reeling from her mother's death.
As she grieves alongside her younger sister Agnes (sublimely played by Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), an unwelcome presence returns: their estranged father Gustav (Stellan Skarsgrd), a once-lauded film director who walked out on the family years earlier.
Gustav is, quite simply, a narcissist. At one point, he gives his grandson a birthday present: two highly inappropriate, graphic DVDs, stating they will teach him about women.
He tells Nora without a hint of guilt, "You girls were the best things that ever happened to me."
To which she replies, aghast, "Well, why weren't you there?"
Dr Burgess said family estrangement affects around one in 25 Australians, which could be why this film is resonating far and wide.
"Some adult children may blame their parents-either consciously or unconsciously-for what has gone wrong in their lives," she told The Senior.
"This can be a deeply human reaction, especially when people are struggling and trying to make sense of their difficulties.
"Recognising how parents contributed to struggles can be a healthy, even necessary, step in healing. But remaining stuck in blame mode often prevents growth."
If Sentimental Value hasn't quite sold you, industry predictions heavily favor One Battle After Another - which has nine nominations. However it is a critical darling but one which flopped at the box office.
The supernatural horror film Sinners, and drama Hamnet - based on William Shakespeare's wife, Agnes Hathaway, and the tragic death of their son that inspired his famous play - are also films gaining momentum this award season.
Jesse Buckley plays Hathaway and is the early frontrunner in the Best Actress category at the Oscars.
Australian hopes
Elordi is Australia's standout hope at this year's Golden Globes, earning two nominations, including Best Supporting Actor for his role in Frankenstein.
The 28-year-old surprised the industry by taking out Best Supporting Actor at the Critics Choice Awards earlier this month, a win that has significantly boosted his Oscar prospects and positioned him as a genuine contender.
Byrne is also in the mix, nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for her daring performance in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You.
While Joel Edgerton, in the career-defining role in Train Dreams is an outside chance in the acting category too at the Globes.
Sarah Snook is nominated in Binge's All Her Fault, for Best Actress in a Limited Series.
But if there is one film you see over summer Sentimental Value is the one that will move you the most.
Poignant. Funny. Achingly beautiful.
Not to be missed.
Here are all the Golden Globe nominees:
Best picture - drama
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- It Was Just an Accident
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- The Secret Agent
Best picture - musical/comedy
- Blue Moon
- Bugonia
- Marty Supreme
- No Other Choice
- Nouvelle Vague
- One Battle After Another
Best actress in a motion picture - drama
- Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby
- Jennifer Lawrence, Die My Love
- Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
- Julia Roberts, After the Hunt
- Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
- Tessa Thompson, Hedda
Best actor in a motion picture - drama
- Dwayne Johnson, The Smashing Machine
- Jeremy Allen White, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
- Joel Edgerton, Train Dreams
- Michael B Jordan, Sinners
- Oscar Isaac, Frankenstein
- Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Best actress in a motion picture - musical/comedy
- Amanda Seyfried, The Testament of Ann Lee
- Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another
- Cynthia Ervio, Wicked: For Good
- Emma Stone, Bugonia
- Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
- Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
Best actor in a motion picture - musical/comedy
- Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
- George Clooney, Jay Kelly
- Jesse Plemons, Bugonia
- Lee Byung-Hun, No Other Choice
- Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
- Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Best supporting actress - motion picture
- Amy Madigan, Weapons
- Ariana Grande, Wicked: For Good
- Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value
- Emily Blunt, The Smashing Machine
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
- Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Best supporting actor - motion picture
- Adam Sandler, Jay Kelly
- Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another
- Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
- Paul Mescal, Hamnet
- Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
- Stellan Skarsgrd, Sentimental Value
Best director - motion picture
- Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
- Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein
- Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident
- Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
- Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
- Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Best screenplay - motion picture
- Hamnet
- It Was Just an Accident
- Sentimental Value
- One Battle After Another
- Marty Supreme
- Sinners
Best picture - animated
- Arco
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaibia - Infinity Castle
- Elio
- KPop Demon Hunters
- Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
- Zootopia 2
Best picture - non-English language
- It was Just an Accident
- No Other Choice
- Sentimental Value
- Sirt
- The Secret Agent
- The Voice of Hind Rajab