Fjord, I am sad to report, is not the latest in The Wave franchise. It is, however, a gripping drama about parental rights and governmental oversight set in a quaint Norwegian town.
What is the right way to parent? And who gets to decide that? These are the questions central to Fjord, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and there are no easy answers. Romanian writer/director Cristian Mungiu presents a complex drama of relationships, spiraling cause-and-effect implications, and cultural dissection that evokes guttural reactions, even if the message the film is sending could be used unfairly, intentionally or not, to extend to far more serious abuses.
“Parental rights,” at least here in the U.S., is a term that sounds common sense on the surface but usually relates to keeping the government out of the family—potentially at the expense of the child. The kids are learning things their parents don’t want them to learn? Parental rights! (even if it means those kids will miss won’t be educated on topics that could help them better function in the real world) Requiring vaccines protects society, except… parental rights! And when it comes to physical abuse, the government, police, or medical professionals can be painted as the villain, in part because there is an appearance of guilt being determined before being proven.
In Fjord, Mingiu picks at a small scab and lets the blood run freely. A suspicious bruise leads to mandatory reporting, which swiftly cascades to the government removing five children—including a baby still nursing—from the parents’ home. It’s clear the parents love their children and their children love them back, but is that enough to keep them together? Does spanking count as abuse? And is spanking enough to lead to a forced separation? These seem like simple questions and yet prove to be anything but, fascinating lesions for Mingiu to claw at.
Religion and culture are at play too, and while Fjord’s highlighting of Norway’s seeming loathing of religion’s influence on children is among the more heavy-handed components of the film, Mingiu gleefully adds another layer of complexity to his drama.
Tricky themes aside, Fjord is just a damned good and engrossing movie with phenomenal acting and picture-perfect filmmaking. Sebastian Stan is so good in this I didn’t even realize it was him until the end credits; he immerses himself into the role of Miahi so incredibly well he’s unrecognizable. Renate Reinsve is excellent as well, serving as the film’s emotional core. Lisa Carlehed is also terrific.
The acting is great, but the way everything works together—the screenplay, the performances, the big thematic questions, the quaint but scenic setting, the way Mingiu goes from the close and intimate examination of people’s lives and their emotions then draws back to Norwegian vistas, challenging the implications of decisions that paint the bigger picture—so seamlessly makes Fjord an utter delight..
The only thing Fjord is missing is a tsunami*—I’ll have to go watch The Wave for that—but this is undoubtedly one of the best films of 2026.
*It does have an avalanche.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.