Fjord | Picturehouse Recommends

Dir: Cristian Mungiu
Cast: Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve
146 mins · Cert 15
A major contender in the upcoming awards season, Fjord has already been awarded the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or. The story follows Romanian software engineer Mihai Gheorghiu and his Norwegian wife, Lisbet, who together have relocated from Romania to settle in a beautiful part of rural Norway. Mihai and Lisbet raise their five kids according to their strict evangelical Christian values. Things change when a teacher at school notices marks on the arm of their daughter, leading to a conflict with the Norwegian authorities. The film reunites Stan and Reinsve, who were so good together in surreal meta-drama A Different Man, and Fjord benefits hugely from their similarly daring natures. Notably, Stan is like you've never seen him before, with bald head and glasses. More than that, as he revisits his Romanian roots, the star gets to explore a character and edgy material in a way Hollywood has rarely allowed him. Likewise, Reinsve continues to build a reputation as one of world cinema's most beguiling actresses. Like Stan, she's almost unrecognisable as a quiet, but fiercely committed, mother as her husband gets drawn into a battle with the local community and beyond. As for Mungiu, he has crafted one of the most incisive, electrifying films of the year.