Fjord

I was already interested in seeing Fjord because I am a big fan of both Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve but, after it won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year, it became one of my most anticipated movies this fall.  I went to see it last night at the Broadway and to say that it is thought-provoking would be an understatement.  Mihai and Lisbet Gheorghiu (Stan and Reinsve, respectively) are a devout evangelical Christian couple who move their family from Romania to Lisbet's remote coastal hometown in Norway to be closer to her parents for help with their five children.  Their conservative parenting style immediately catches the attention of a progressive counselor (Lisa Loven Kongsli) at their children's school, so when she sees bruises on their oldest daughter Elia (Vanessa Ceban), she reports them to the Child Welfare Services for abuse which also triggers a criminal investigation.  All five children are eventually removed from their parents' custody when Mihai admits to occasionally spanking them.  Soon the Gheorghius are involved in an intense custody battle, but when their neighbor Mia Halberg (Lisa Carlehed) steps in to defend them, they are given temporary custody pending the outcome of the criminal trial.  However, when Mia refuses to represent Mihai in the criminal trial, the Gheorghius decide to flee to Denmark to avoid losing their children forever.  I was really intrigued by the fact that there are no easy answers and that much of what happens with the children is open to interpretation.  Elia may have gotten the bruises from roughhousing with her brother Emmanuel (Jonathan Ciprian Breazu) or from wrestling in her P.E. class, the language barrier may have led to miscommunication during Elia's interview with Child Welfare, or Elia may have lied in her interview to get back at her parents for interfering in a new friendship with their neighbor Noora (Henrikke Lund-Olsen).  I was also very struck by all of the moral dilemmas raised by the narrative, especially whether you should protect the rights of someone you disagree with (I was often uncomfortable because, while I disagree with some of the Gheorghius' beliefs, I found the prosecution of them to be overzealous).  The symbolism is incredibly powerful, especially with the setting because the fjords represent isolation and the resulting avalanches show the crushing weight of judgement.  Finally, both Stan and Reinsve give highly restrained and nuanced performances in which anger and frustration are internalized.  This choice does make the characters seem cold and remote (mimicking the setting) but it is absolutely devastating to watch.  The audience is challenged to have sympathy for characters they may disagree with and, for that reason, I highly recommend it.