Multilingual Drama ‘Fjord’ Wins Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival

The curtain closed on the 79th Cannes Film Festival with the awarding of the Palme d’Or to Fjord, a multilingual drama by Romanian director Cristian Mungiu. The film stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as a Christian couple accused of child abuse. Mungiu switched seamlessly between English and French as he addressed the significance of cinema addressing pivotal societal issues. He emphasized that society is currently divided and radicalized, making such storytelling urgent. In Fjord, a family issue escalates into a public debate between religious conservatism and social liberalism once child protection services become involved.

This award marks Mungiu’s second Palme, his first being for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days in 2007. This year’s festival was noticeably quieter compared to previous years, partially due to the absence of major American studios and recognizable global stars. In addition, there was a lack of a standout favorite among the entries competing for the Palme, contributing to the subdued atmosphere.

Several awards, including those for best director, actress, and actor, had multiple recipients. Jury head and filmmaker Park Chan-wook noted the diversity of the panel, which included actress Demi Moore and director Chloé Zhao. Polish director Paweł Pawlikowski won best director for Fatherland, sharing the honor with Spanish filmmakers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi. Their film, La Bola Negra, explores different historical periods and intertwines the stories of several men. Central to the narrative is Federico García Lorca’s unfinished play, left incomplete after his murder by fascists at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.