In the latest from masterful Cristian Mungiu, Lisbet (Renate Reinsve) and Mihai Gheorghiu (Sebastian Stan) are a conservative Christian couple who’ve relocated from Romania to an isolated Norwegian town with their five children.
Unlike their new neighbors, the Gheorghius enforce daily bible study and don’t allow trappings like smartphones and YouTube. The family’s rigid beliefs cause a stir when one of the children is accused of introducing religious bias into their school by criticizing another student’s sexual orientation. This, however, is just the beginning of the family’s problems. When a teacher notices a bruise on another of their kids, a cascade of events — mimicking the avalanches we see behind the schoolyard in the icy locale — is set in motion.
Unlike her strong-willed husband, Lisbet, Norwegian by birth, is fluent in the local language and adept at navigating cultural nuances. Meanwhile, Mihai, steadfast in what he sees as his right to educate his offspring as he sees fit, admits to the occasional spanking. This triggers a storm of controversy — and is certain to evoke strong, varying opinions from viewers.
Winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes, FJORD is an intricate, gripping courtroom drama driven by a profound moral dilemma, where private lives are laid bare for public scrutiny. Shot by frequent Mungiu collaborator Tudor Vladimir Panduru, the film marks a powerful return for the auteur whose 2007 masterpiece 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, AND 2 DAYS helped launch the celebrated Romanian New Wave. (Synopsis from the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival)
“Mungiu refuses easy answers as questions of parenting, faith and state intervention sprawl into the wider, murkier world of social media…. FJORD sustains nail-biting tension across its lengthy running time through meticulous pacing, confirming the Palme d’Or laureate as one of contemporary cinema’s sharpest moral observers.” —Tara Brady, Irish Times “Holds a mirror up to a deeply polarized era in which it feels like everyone has an opinion about their neighbor’s behavior…. Mungiu keeps FJORD riveting by letting it unfold as a moral and social quandary more than a mystery.” —Brian Tallerico, rogerebert.com “May very well be one of [Cristian Mungiu’s] most intelligent, uncompromising, and troubling (complimentary) works to date, one that gets to the heart of many contemporary ills plaguing humanity today all over the world…. Mungiu trusts the audience to arrive at their own conclusions as he casts the film out into dark, uncertain waters, with us unsure where exactly it is headed next, yet continuing forward all the same, much like people and society themselves, regardless of whether we are ready for it or not.” —Matt Neglia, Next Best Picture
