Review: Fjord

Image courtesy of Neon.

Sure to spark some heated debate, Romanian director Cristian Mungiu's Palm d'Or winner "Fjord" is a tense and well-acted film that is impressively executed, which helps to distract from its slightly implausible story. 

The concept, which has led to some debate, is that a conservative Christian family from Romania has relocated to Norway, where at first they get along well with the locals, but ultimately find themselves in a bureaucratic nightmare after they are accused of abusing their children. 

The family soon begins to assume that they are being persecuted for their devout beliefs and, in the context of this film, they are probably right. The element that makes the film's plot slightly preposterous is that, in our modern world, christians are not being persecuted in progressive countries, whereas those whose ideas who diverge from the religious beliefs of right wingers are being politically punished.

But I believe that Mungiu - whose previous films have not displayed any sort of right-wing slant and whose best and most critically acclaimed film, "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days," is about a woman trying to obtain an abortion in 1987 Romania, where such activities were illegal - has a point to make with "Fjord" and a question to pose: Would you fight for the rights of someone with whom you fundamentally disagree?

In the film, Mihai (a very good Sebastian Stan) and Lisbet (Renate Reinsve) are shocked to find that they are being accused of abusing their children - the couple has five, including a newborn - by Norway's Child Protection agency. The evidence is that their teenage daughter, Elia (Vanessa Ceban), has a few bruises, although a supportive classmate, Noora (Henrikke Lund Olsen), says these occurred at school. 

The authorities take the couple's five children and place them with foster families while an investigation takes place. No matter what Mihai and Lisbet say to explain their situation, it falls on deaf ears and they are given little recourse to respond to the allegations. The couple notes that they discipline their children with the occasional swat on the backside, but say that they do not hit or slap their children. The Child Protection investigators seem to be equally disturbed by the family's deep religious beliefs as they do the alleged physical punishments.

As I noted before, one might think the film was pushing right-wing propaganda about persecuted christians until a moment late in the picture when something occurs that actually makes the family harder to like: While being questioned, it is mentioned that Mihai has made comments about his belief in a "traditional family" and it is referenced that one of his children told another student in school that they believed they would go to hell for being a lesbian.

It is by making Mihai - and possibly his family - less sympathetic that it becomes clear that Mungiu is more interested in the concept of defending those with whom you might disagree than picking a side in the culture wars. The film, in essence, argues that no matter how outdated or uncharitable one's opinions might be, the state should not have the power to deprive one's freedom to hold those beliefs.

But it's all about nuance here, which is why the film works. Stan is very good as Mihai, who is clearly a man who has difficulty reigning in his anger, especially when it's in his best interest to do so, and Reinsve continues the incredible run she's had in the past few years as Lisbet, whose bewilderment and deep sadness at the family's situation is as deeply felt as Mihai's rage. 

While "4 Months" remains Mungiu's finest film - that picture also won top honors at the Cannes Film Festival - his latest is a thorny and complex drama that focuses on the concept that countries claiming to welcome immigrants often only want the right ones - something that has played out with horrific results in the United States - upon which the country can impose its own values. This is a challenging and well-made film.