A family’s new beginning in a remote Norwegian village becomes a deeply unsettling battle over faith, parenting and personal freedom in Fjord, the latest film from Palme d’Or-winning Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu.
Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve star in the film as a Romanian-Norwegian couple whose family comes under scrutiny after allegations of abuse. Also starring in the film are Lisa Carlehed, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Henrikke Lund-Olsen, Vanessa Ceban and Jonathan Ciprian Breazu.
Fjord made its world premiere in Competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d’Or, giving Mungiu his second victory at the festival following his 2007 win for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. The film subsequently traveled to festivals including the Sydney Film Festival, where it screened in Official Competition, as well as the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and Lima Film Festival. It has also continued its festival run with upcoming North American screenings, including the New York Film Festival, where it will have its New York premiere. In the United States, NEON will release Fjord in theaters on October 9, 2026.
The official synopsis from Cannes describes the story this way: The Gheorghius, a devout Romanian Norwegian couple, resettle in a village set in a distant fjord where they become close to their neighbours, the Halbergs. Their children bond despite their different education. When adolescent Elia Gheorghiu shows up at school with some bruises on her body, the community asks itself if the traditional education that the Gheorghiu children get from their parents might have anything to do with it.
In his review for RogerEbert.com, critic Brian Tallerico praised the director, writing, “Mungiu keeps “Fjord” riveting by letting it unfold as a moral and social quandary more than a mystery.” He added, “… one of the things that makes “Fjord” so rewarding is the sense that he’s exploring how he feels about these people and these issues along with us as their story unfolds.”
Watch the official trailer for Fjord above.
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