Mihai (Sebastian Stan), a Romanian immigrant and Christian fundamentalist, and his Norwegian wife, Lisbet (Renate Reinsve), move to a small fjord village in western Norway with their five children. One day, after a teacher discovers bruises on their eldest daughter’s body, Child Welfare Services place all five children into foster care. Inspired by the real-life 2015 Bodnariu case, director Cristian Mungiu refuses to reduce this tragedy to a simplistic dichotomy of good versus evil. Without rushing to declare the parents’ guilt or innocence, he calmly observes them becoming ensnared in a Kafkaesque trap, sharply capturing the clash between a progressive system and traditional values through his signature intellectual gaze. Backed by masterful direction of long takes and dialogue, Mungiu crafts a socio-legal thriller that shakes even the audience’s own convictions. Fjord quietly yet relentlessly reminds us that understanding others ultimately begins with the effort to listen to their voices.
Born in Iași, Romania in 1968, Cristian Mungiu studied English literature before working as a teacher and journalist. He then trained in directing at the Bucharest Academy of Theatre and Film, where he made several short films. His 2002 feature debut, Occident, was invited to Cannes′ Directors′ Fortnight and became a major box-office hit in Romania. In 2003, he founded the production company Mobra Films, through which he has produced most of his subsequent work. In 2007, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days made him the first Romanian director to win the Palme d′Or, bringing the Romanian New Wave to global attention. With just five features, he rose to the ranks of world-class auteurs: Beyond the Hills (2012) won the Best Screenplay Award and a shared Best Actress Award for its two leads at Cannes, while Graduation (2016) earned him the Best Director Award. His latest film, Fjord, starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve and set in a small Norwegian village, won him his second Palme d′Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
roMain posterMain poster for roenMain poster for enelMain poster for elesMain poster for esfrMain poster for fritMain poster for itruMain poster for rusvMain poster for svzh-hansMain poster for zh-hansenenfrfrrorozh-hanszh-hans
Audience stickers
0 eligible stickers
No stickers yet
Showing 0 representative anonymous stickers. Position and shape do not affect scoring; preferences are counted once per verified person.
