Mungiu's provocative new film

Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu won the Palme d'Or at Cannes earlier in the year for Fjord, a film that questions whether authorities always know what's best for children.

“Do the authorities entrusted to protect our children always know what's best for them?”

A family moves to Norway

Mihai Gheorghiu, a Romanian man, and his Norwegian wife Lisbet relocate with their five children from Romania to Norway to be closer to Lisbet's parents. The family is deeply religious.

A bruise triggers intervention

A school instructor notices a bruise on the shoulder of the eldest Gheorghiu daughter, Elia.Before the parents can fully grasp what's happening, all their children, including an infant still breastfeeding, are placed in foster homes.

Based on a real case

Mungiu's script is based on a real-life case in Norway. Recently in the U.S., Child Protective Services interviewed the children of former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, separating them from their fathers for twenty-four hours…

Stan and Reinsve anchor the drama

Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve deliver layered performances as the parents fighting bureaucracy to reunite their family.Stan shows Mihai's complexity as a loving father with a temper.Reinsve portrays Lisbet's quiet distress beneath a meek exterior.

The teenagers steal the film

A subplot involving the eldest daughter Elia and her neighbor Noora becomes the film's most powerful element.The two young teenagers navigate a new friendship while exploring feelings that may be the roots of romantic love.

“Sometimes kids tell us what we need to know about life, even if it's not always the lesson we expect or want.”