Fjord uses a devout Romanian family’s struggle to adapt to life in Norway to examine how cultural displacement, xenophobia, and religious prejudice strain family bonds. Through teenagers testing boundaries against strict expectations, the film argues that assimilation can threaten both parental authority and cultural identity. By contrasting Romanian and Norwegian customs, the film explores how cultural beliefs shape tradition, identity, and judgments of character. It also serves as a thoughtful character study of competing parenting styles, asking whether there is a single right way to raise a child. Religious discrimination remains a prominent theme throughout the film. It shows how conflicting religious customs and parenting practices can shape public perception and create suspicion within a community.
At its core, Fjord asks a resonant question: Is there one appropriate way to raise a child? The film poignantly examines cultures guided by fundamentally different morals and traditions, each convinced that its values provide the proper way to live. Overall, it offers compelling commentary on how sharply contrasting cultural and religious beliefs can be misunderstood as harmful. Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan deliver two of the film’s strongest performances as the Romanian couple at the center of a child-abuse investigation. Norwegian authorities become involved after the couple’s children tell school administrators that their parents “discipline” them when they misbehave. Reinsve and Stan portray the parents’ shock and confusion with pathos, empathy, and compassion, conveying their sincere belief that their methods are ordinary.
Their performances capture the anguish, naïveté, and disillusionment produced by the investigation. At the same time, the characters remain in denial, unwilling to acknowledge how their strict, deeply religious parenting practices conflict with the more permissive norms of their new country. Director Cristian Mungiu poses the difficult question, “Am I raising my child the right way?” but leaves the answer open to interpretation. By refusing to declare either side morally superior, he invites the audience to consider how religion and culture influence parenting. The cinematography turns Norway’s striking landscape into a character of its own. Its calm beauty contrasts sharply with the domestic and legal crisis engulfing the Gherghiu family. As the investigation intensifies, the welcoming community begins to feel like a trap, reflecting a rigid bureaucracy from which the parents cannot escape. This visual paradox heightens their desperation and powerlessness.
5 out of 5 stars.
Ultimately, Fjord is a moving exploration of the tension between a Romanian family’s deeply rooted religious traditions and contemporary Norwegian norms. It thoughtfully portrays the challenge of adapting to a new culture without surrendering one’s identity. Rather than offering easy answers, the film asks how families can preserve their principles while learning to live within a different society.
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