Romanian Auteur Cristian Mungiu on Exploring the Janus Face of Prejudice in Acclaimed ‘Fjord’ - Entertainment Voice

The films of Romanian director Cristian Mungiu form a unique arc in capturing the social divisions of European society for the last few decades. Many of his characters are confronted with social forces that can range from the state to the personal. Mungiu’s latest, “Fjord,” arrives after winning the prestigious Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It is now surely a frontrunner for the Best International Film Oscar. Like Mungiu’s overall body of work, this is a compelling, human portrait where a Norwegian town becomes a microcosm of the wider debates in European society. The director turns the tables on the classic idea of characters suffering persecution. Here, it is a Christian conservative family that comes under intense scrutiny from a community proud of its progressive system.

Renate Reinsve, one of the great international actors since her breakthrough in the millennial portrait “The Worst Person in the World,” and Sebastian Stan play Lisbet and Mihai. They are married with five children and raise a home with strict, though not tyrannical, Christian values.