The issue of belief and the attitudes to how children are brought up comes under scrutiny in Fjord, this year’s Palme d’Or winner at the Cannes Film Festival. Cristian Mungiu’s complex moral dilemma deals with a tough subject while delivering strong performances, particularly from its two leads, and capturing the beauty of Norway and the village where the film is set. At the same time, this complicated argument, while it plays out well, leaves the audience almost hanging and somehow runs out of steam by the end.
Mihai Gheorghiu and his Norwegian wife Lisbet move from Romania to Norway with their children and settle in a small community. The family are devout evangelical Christians who believe their children should be free of mobile phones and modern music, while also having their own values for how to bring their family up. The two oldest children form an instant relationship with their neighbours’ daughter, Noora, causing jealousy within Noora’s best friend. When Ella, the eldest daughter, comes to school with bruises, it sparks an investigation leading to Child Welfare Services removing the children and the Gheorghiu’s fighting to get them back, suspecting religious discrimination.
Director Mungiu, whose previous films include the tough abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, doesn’t shy away from difficult subject matter. In a time when religion seems to trigger all kinds of opinions, this story of how a family brings up their children through their beliefs is always going to divide opinions. Using a family from Romania who move to Norway and live their lives in a way that is almost alien to others is a perfect example of how discrimination could be used against them.
The film slowly unravels the events leading to the removal of the children, because Ella seems to announce that her parents spank her, and that the school believe her mother is responsible for the bruises. Yet we also witness family events, as well as the jealousy that occurs during a physical education class when the girls are wrestling. Cries of child abuse are almost instantaneous without any real evidence, and the Gheorghius must fight in court to get their children back, including the baby who needs constant attention.
The film’s second act focuses on the courtroom as the family are determined to win, proving that their way of life is very much unique. Yet this allows the audience to decide who is right and who is wrong. How is a family from a different country with a different way of life supposed to conform to the attitudes of those in their adopted home? It does lead to some thought-provoking conversations. Yet while Mungiu, who also wrote the script, sets this up brilliantly, it seems even he cannot answer the questions he poses, as the final act fails to live up to the rest of the film. Up to that point, it’s engrossing and really digs deep into your soul about how you feel about the whole situation.
The performances are superb, with the younger members of the cast, particularly Henrikke Lund-Olsen as Noora, the almost obsessed new friend to Ella, being a standout. As the parents, Sebastian Stan, probably better known as The Winter Soldier in the Marvel movies, as well as playing Donald Trump in The Apprentice, is almost unrecognisable as Mihai. With a shaved head and glasses, he is completely convincing as the religious father, shocked by his treatment in his new home, and balancing between a doting father and a man pushed to the limits. As his wife, Lisbet, the always-brilliant Renate Reinsve once again delivers a masterclass in nuance and quiet understatement: a woman broken by the events, yet resilient enough to remain the caring woman she always was. After her very different roles in Sentimental Values and Backrooms this year, she is turning into the new Merly Streep.
Fjord is a worthy piece of work that will leave you debating the rights and wrongs of the situation and looking at how we, as individuals, view those who don’t conform to our own values. A stunning drama that does leave you overwhelmed by the end.
4 out of 5
Director: Cristian Mungiu
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, Lisa Carlhed, Henrikke Lund-Olsen, Vanessa Ceban, Jonathan Ciprian Breazu, Markus Tønseth, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Lisa Loven Kongsli
Written by: Cristian Mungiu
Running Time: 146 mins
Cert: 15
Release date: 13th November 2026
