Dogmatic Nordic liberals v eastern family values: culture-clash drama Fjord touches nerves in Norway and Romania

Cristian Mungiu's Cannes-winning film draws from the real-life case of a Romanian couple whose children were taken away by Norwegian authorities. As it arrives at the London film festival, two commentators explore how the movie reveals genuine double standards.

When Cristian Mungiu's "Fjord" had a one-day preview in Romania this June, the public response was remarkable. Reportedly, the film drew more than 40,000 viewers in a single evening across 53 towns and 96 cinemas—a number rarely achieved by art-house films in Romania. Yet the reaction here was not primarily about cinema. Instead, it seemed to reopen a familiar rift concerning the clash of values within the European Union.