Joey Magidson
There’s a bad version of the plot of Fjord that comes off like straight up right wing conservative propaganda. Seeing a conservative Christian family having to fight the bureaucracy of a liberal government feels like the stuff of Pure Flix’s cinematic dreams. So, the fact that this film is not just good, but won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, should tell you how actually nuanced this one is. The movie has been getting raves, and rightly so, as the material is done superbly well. Playing at the Toronto International Film Festival, it’s as good as advertised.
Fjord has a higher profile cast than usual for filmmaker Cristian Mungiu, with Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan leading the way. Luckily, they’re giving wonderful performances, as understated and emotionally effective as they’ve ever been. They anchor what could have been a cold flick with a screen presence that very much holds your interest. Reinsve and Stan are able to make you root for two people who may well believe the opposite of what you believe, and that’s quite the achievement.
Married couple Lisbet Gheorghiu (Reinsve) and Mihai Gheorghiu (Stan) are conservative Christians who’ve relocated from Romania to a small Norwegian town with their five children in the aftermath of losing Mihai’s parents. Lisbet is Norwegian, while Mihai is Romanian, and the family leans towards his methods of parenting. In the town, everyone is friendly, but it’s clear that they don’t approve of their rigid beliefs. The children can’t dance or listen to modern music. Prayer is a daily part of their lives. YouTube is out of the question. Even as teens Elia (Vanessa Ceban) and Emmanuel (Jonathan Ciprian Breazu) bond with rebellious teen Noora (Henrikke Lund-Olsen), the daughter of their neighbor and the school headmaster, there are looks and whispers. In particular, there’s objection to the way the kids are playing religious music and objecting to homosexuality. Then, there’s more.
When one of their teachers notices a bruise on Elia, they report it to Child Protective Services. That sets into motion a government agency that sees only one thing, despite the Gheorghiu pleading otherwise. Almost immediately, the children are taken by them. Lisbet is Norwegian, so she understands and can communicate in the language best, while Mihai and the kids end up using English as a compromise. When it becomes clear that CPS is not looking to return the kids to them, Mihai opts to try a different, and louder, approach.
Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve are both excellent here, playing very tricky roles. Reinsve is gentle and kind, though unable to resist slipping religion into work, even when asked not to. It’s very subtle work, especially when the material could easily have turned things to melodrama. Stan is playing a more rigid man, one who believes in his own way of doing things, some of which are no longer in fashion. Even as he defends some behaviors you’ll likely be uncomfortable with, you never doubt his love for his children. Vanessa Ceban, Jonathan Ciprian Breazu, and Henrikke Lund-Olsen are all solid enough, while other supporting players include Lisa Carlehed, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Christian Rubeck, Adrian Titieni, Øyvind Venstad Kjeksrud, and more.
Writer/director Cristian Mungiu opts to make this almost an English language endeavor (it’s truly almost 50% in English), yet this doesn’t feel at all like a compromise. The long running time and cold visuals never become repetitive, with the end result actually keeping you on the edge of your seat. It’s not a thriller, per say, but it has some elements of a legal thriller. Mungiu genuinely keeps you in suspense about what ultimately will happen to this family. The way you don’t have to agree with the family’s beliefs to disagree with their treatment is one of the big successes of this flick.
Fjord is destined to generate much conversation between those who see this movie. It’s a not an overtly complicated film, to be sure, but it’s dense and unsparing. At the same time, it’s not a painful experience, due to the almost gentle way it all unspools, as well as the strong work from Reinsve and Stan. This is a very strong TIFF effort, one that could be on its way to the Academy Awards, before all is said and done.
SCORE: ★★★1/2
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