‘Fjord’ Review: The Family Tie Is Unraveled in Cristian Mungiu’s Remarkable Social Drama [TIFF 2026]
Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord delivers a beautiful yet deeply isolating and singular narrative about a family in crisis, making for one of this year’s best.
The 51st Annual Toronto International Film Festival is finally underway, with a 10-day slate of films from around the world to satisfy even the most hardcore cinephiles. Its opening day is no exception to its packed slate, seeing the North American premiere of Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord. The film follows a family of Christian migrants from Romania making a new life for themselves in Norway, as they navigate new social norms and legal systems. Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve star as parents Mihai and Lisbet, marking their second on-screen collaboration following 2024’s A Different Man. The film, and their performances, have been widely praised since its world premiere at Cannes, which earned it the coveted Palme d’Or. Upon watching the finished film, it becomes evident why such praise has echoed so widely since its initial screenings.
Sprawling mountainscapes and sporadic avalanches act as the backdrop for our film’s central turmoil. The setting acts as a gargantuan backdrop for a smaller, more centralized story, marking a nice contrast of themes early on. The core narrative is inherently isolating for our protagonists, and the way in which the film is shot only lends itself to a further sensation of disconnect. Cinematographer Tudor Vladimir Panduru makes remarkable use of depth throughout, placing characters and spaces amidst vast, awe-inspiring landscapes. Every shot is emboldened with a deep thematic richness that, mixed with a muted and almost monochromatic color palette, gives the film quite the cold edge.It's easy for a film this cold to feel dull in its visual approach, and Fjord doesn't entirely escape that fate, as a handful of sequences do feel that way. However, those moments are the exception rather than the rule, and the film's visual highs more than make up for them. All that being said, Fjord's photographic efforts cement its presence as one of the year's best-looking films.
At Fjord’s center is the Gheorghiu family, headed by the Romanian-born Mihai and Norwegian native Lisbet, who relocate to Norway to give their four children a better life following a family death. On its surface, the village is quite warm on arrival, a stark contrast to their setting, as they are welcomed to Norway with open arms. However, as time marches on, a central clash of ideologies creates a rift between the Gheorghiu family and their community at large, as their more traditional Christian worldview is uncommon in a more secular Norway. Their children don’t have iPads, must pray at certain times, and are often preaching scripture outside of their home. The main conflict arises when a teacher notices bruising on their eldest daughter, prompting an investigation from the local child protection agency and the swift separation of the Gheorghius from their children. The film's narrative is one of isolation and solitude, and coupled with deliberate visual choices, makes for an upsetting watch at times. This, of course, is a compliment. At times, it’s easy to feel unsure what the film is truly trying to say. Fjord's inherent ambiguity is both its central strength and its primary drawback, due primarily to an imbalance in the information given: certain things are withheld to leave the audience with a sense of mystery, while other, more detailed elements could have been revealed to bring more of the film’s themes to light.
From a performance standpoint, Fjord features many of this year’s standouts. Its screenplay is immensely challenging, blending English, Norwegian, and Romanian, in a seamless and naturalistic fashion, making its dialogue quite demanding for actors who cannot speak one of those languages. That being said, the film’s two key performances from Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve are nothing short of breathtaking. The Gheorghiu parents feel like real people trying to build a better life for their family. Their characters are reinforced by strong individual personalities and a real, tender relationship dynamic, one built less on romance than on shared purpose. The two operate almost as a single unit where their children are concerned, with Mihai’s rough outer shell melting away when with his children and Lisbet’s warmth extending far beyond the family home. It’s made clear that their children are their main priority early on, so upon their removal from the family home, their dynamic shifts. The film takes a turn for a much darker tone, with Stan and Reinsve adopting more cold approaches to their characters. That, however, further cements their performances as Academy Award-worthy, as the stark contrast to their earlier portrayals only serves to enrich their personas. As for the actors who play their children, they are incredibly captivating in their limited screen time. Although language barriers seemed a concern in the film’s first act, they stand their ground and deliver as the conflict arises. Notably, Vanessa Ceban’s portrayal as their eldest daughter, Elia, is quite the standout. She grounds a great deal of the family’s turmoil while also carrying a subplot revolving around a friendship with their neighbor’s daughter, Noora, in magnificent fashion.
Cristian Mungiu delivers one of the year’s very best in Fjord, which is sure to be a standout at this year’s TIFF. The film hits North American theaters on October 9th, and has already been released throughout Europe to critical and commercial praise. It’s safe to say the film will satisfy cinephiles and casual filmgoers alike, and is sure to spark important conversations long after the credits have rolled.