Parents' Guide to Fjord

This complex drama from director Cristian Mungiu won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, and it's easy to see why such an impactful but nuanced movie made a lasting impression. Fjord is a film that asks uncomfortable questions, but doesn't necessarily spell out the answers. It's loosely based on a real-life case, and the difficult issues it brings up—namely corporal punishment and religious persecution—are not simple ones to solve. There are plenty of sympathetic characters within the cast, and the acting is strong throughout. Stan is unrecognizable from his famous Hollywood role as Bucky Barnes in the MCU, here a serious, devout religious father. Reinsve makes a similarly bold step away from her better known parts—The Worst Person in the World, Backrooms, Sentimental Value—as an equally earnest mother, driven by her faith and natural compassion to live a pious life. Their beliefs are at odds with those around them, and the small community may consider itself progressive, but people are quick to judge and the movie questions where intolerance still lurks in spaces that appear liberal or enlightened. Nobody is let off the hook—the parents admit to "slapping" their children, which for many will be a black and white issue.

Stan's Mihai questions the importance of language (his children are initially interviewed by child protection services in Norwegian rather than their native Romanian, or even their second language, English) and argues that what he considers a "slap on the butt" is very different from what was written in his confession: that he "repeatedly hit" his children. Viewers will come to the film with their own views and experiences, but it encourages reflection rather than preaching for either side. There's certainly sympathy for the central family, but as the genial school principal tells them when they first arrive, "There's no Dracula here," and the film takes the same approach: there are no villains. There's no clear line as to who's right or wrong or, more importantly, what's best for the children.