Sebastian Stan Unrecognizable and Renate Reinsve Magnificent in Fjord

The Cannes Palm d’OR winner Fjord circles around The Gheorghius, a devout Romanian Norwegian couple, who resettle in a village set in a distant fjord where they become close to their neighbours, the Halbergs. Their children bond despite their different education and when adolescent Elia Gheorghiu shows up at school with some bruises on her body, the community asks itself if the traditional education the Gheorghiu children are receiving from their parents would have anything to do with it.  Loosely based on a similar narrative with the Bodnariu family in 2015, the battle against church and state rears it head in a narrative all too familiar in the world today.

Directed and written by Cristian Mungíu, the serene energy set at the start of the film as  “Amazing Grace” plays over the stunning snowcapped mountain Norwegian landscape sets the scene. Images projected with no visible actors on screen and just the dialogue lets you know that something epic is about to pop off upsetting the gentle lack of anxiety or tension that about to hit the screen.

Rather than strictly telling one family’s exact biography, the film explores broader societal friction points between conservative immigrant values and progressive Western state institutions.  Mungíu’s screenplay leaves one pondering what is and is not considered abuse by a parent?  Is it a full beating with a belt, a slap on the behind or a simple vocal lashing.  Not to mention, public persecution and discord over sexual identify and peer pressure by adults and children alike permeate throughout questioning whether to follow in line with the perception of what is considered right or wrong. Being persecuted for one’s religious beliefs is a tale as old as time and it seems as the more sophisticated humanity is, the dumber and less forgiving we become about religious, physical or sexual differences of our neighbors and friends.

Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan (literally unrecognizable) are astonishing as parents believing they’ve done nothing wrong, but love their children to the best of their ability. Mihal’s (Stan) passion for his children is oftentimes misunderstood as a father with a volatile and unpredictable temper. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Lisbet (Reinsve) has a temper of her own, but hers is masked and managed a little bit better.

Reinsve and Stan are magnificent exploring every color in the spectrum to display the full range of emotions and frustration of parents who are literally standing atop the highest cliff of judgement deciding which direction is the right one for themselves and their family.

Fjord is proof that laws are made to be broken, especially when hearts are tattered, families shattered and lines become blurred between what is truly right or wrong.  It’s a film that will leave a know in your stomach, a hole in your heart and hope that the world will some day find its way to love without judgement of our neighbors and ourselves.