Fjord Splits Cannes Critics With 4-Star and 1-Star Reviews

10 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 21

Cristian Mungiu’s new drama has emerged as one of Cannes 2026’s biggest flashpoints, with Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve playing a Christian immigrant couple whose children are taken by Norwegian authorities.
The divide stems from the film’s framing: it treats the couple’s strict faith and corporal punishment with sympathy while casting liberal school officials and Norway’s child-protection system as prejudiced, bureaucratic and possibly xenophobic.
Screen International’s critics roundup shows the split starkly, ranging from maximum 4-star notices to 1-star pans; reviews span from The Guardian’s “underpowered” verdict to Deadline calling it Palme d’Or-worthy.
The controversy is unusual for Cannes arthouse fare because the film is skeptical of liberal characters and more favorable to conservative Christians, making it a broader test of how audiences read bias, satire and cultural politics.

Can a film that sympathizes with corporal punishment foster empathy, or does it risk validating abuse under the guise of cultural tradition?

When parental discipline is a crime, where does child protection end and cultural prejudice begin?