Mungiu's 'Fjord' Wins 10-Minute Cannes Ovation as Child-Seizure Drama Grips Grand Palais
Updated
Updated · Variety · May 18
Mungiu's 'Fjord' Wins 10-Minute Cannes Ovation as Child-Seizure Drama Grips Grand Palais
10 articles · Updated · Variety · May 18
A 10-minute standing ovation greeted Cristian Mungiu’s competition entry “Fjord” at its Cannes premiere, with the audience audibly reacting to the film’s escalating family ordeal.
Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve play parents in a Romanian-Norwegian family whose move to a remote village spirals into crisis when authorities remove their children over alleged abuse.
Mungiu told the crowd Cannes was the ultimate test of whether the film would endure, underscoring the stakes for his latest return to the festival.
The reception boosts an already strong Cannes pedigree: Mungiu won the 2007 Palme d’Or, while distributor Neon has backed every Palme winner since 2019.
Why is a Romanian director's take on a Norwegian cultural clash the biggest story at this year's Cannes?
When a family's values clash with state law, who truly advocates for the children caught in the middle?