Fjord, the film by Romanian director Christian Mungiu that won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, is opening in Russian cinemas. For Mungiu, this is the festival's second top honour; he previously received it for the drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.
The film's protagonist, Mihai Georgiu, a Romanian, moves with his Norwegian wife Lisbeth and their five children to a small town in Norway. The family is deeply religious, something noticed by both neighbours and the evangelical community, which welcomes them gladly. Soon, however, the idyll is shattered. A schoolteacher notices bruises on the arm of the eldest daughter and reports them to the child welfare authorities. Officials question the family, paying no attention to the fact that only the mother speaks Norwegian fluently. A remark by the father that he might spank the children proves enough for them to be taken away immediately, and a criminal case is opened against the parents.
Mihai sees the state's actions as discrimination against Christians and begins a fight against the social service. The picture raises questions for the viewer about the limits of state interference in private life and about whether values, whether religious or human-rights-based, can become dangerous.
As Lenta.ru writes, the director takes neither side of the conflict. He shows both the unyielding officials who strictly follow instructions and the stubbornness of a fundamentalist father prepared to enlist conservative forces from across Europe in his struggle. According to the publication, Mungiu uses acute social problems as the basis for a thriller in which not so much ideologies as two irreconcilable forces collide.
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