Sebastian Stan stars in a drama that has already attracted international attention. Directed by Cristian Mungiu, Fjord is now in theaters, following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
The film won the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes in May and has received positive reviews from critics. It was selected as Romania’s submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards, further raising its awards-season profile.
What is Sebastian Stan’s Fjord about?
Fjord follows Mihai Gheorghiu, a conservative Romanian man, and his Norwegian wife, Lisbet, who move with their five children to her hometown in a remote Norwegian village. Their attempt to settle into the community is disrupted when authorities investigate alleged child abuse after their eldest daughter, Elia, arrives at school with bruises.
Mihai and Lisbet deny abusing their children, but child welfare officials remove the children from their home while an investigation proceeds. As the couple fights to regain custody, cultural differences, religious beliefs, and conflicting parenting practices strain their relationships with the local community.
The story is loosely inspired by the real-life case of the Bodnariu family, whose children were taken into custody by Norwegian authorities. Mungiu uses the family’s situation to explore conflicting values and the challenges of understanding people with different beliefs.
Renate Reinsve stars as Lisbet alongside Stan, who plays Mihai. The supporting cast includes Lisa Carlehed, Henrikke Lund-Olsen, Vanessa Ceban and Jonathan Ciprian Breazu.
Mungiu wrote and directed the film, following his previous features R.M.N. and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. At Cannes, Fjord won several awards alongside the Palme d’Or, including the FIPRESCI Prize, the François Chalais Prize, the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the Prix de la Citoyenneté.
The film also holds a 91% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Neon is distributing Fjord in the United States.
Originally reported on ComingSoon.net.
