Fjord

Romanian-Norwegian couple the Gheorghius, Mihai (a virtually unrecognisable Stan, A Different Man, SFF 2024) and Lisbet (Reinsve, Sentimental Value, SFF 2025), are devoutly Christian and relocate from Romania to a Norwegian village set in a fjord to be closer to Lisbet's family. Together with their five children, including an infant, they settle into their new environment and make friends with their neighbours. Their older daughter Elia, in particular, becomes close to rebellious teen Noora. When Elia turns up at school with some bruises on her body, it triggers an investigation into her parents and their conservative parenting methods, soon escalating into a full-blown crisis in the village and far beyond. Mungiu, who won the Cannes Palme d'Or for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days in 2007, and prizes for Beyond the Hills (SFF 2013) and Graduation (SFF 2017), is masterful in posing searing moral questions, placing his characters in complex situations. With Fjord, a vehicle for incredible performances by Stan and Reinsve, he challenges the audience to contemplate the limits of secular contemporary societies in dealing with minorities and, as always, poses resonant ethical questions.