Fjord

Few directors make me question the morality of their characters’ decisions the way Cristian Mungiu does. I still remember the first time I watched 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. At eighteen years old, it felt completely different from the kind of cinema I was used to. Through the story of two university students in communist Romania trying to arrange an illegal abortion, Mungiu exposes not only the danger created by the state’s restrictions, but also the abuse, fear and desperation that emerge within oppressive systems. The uncomfortable conversations, the silence between characters and the devastating final moments forced me to reflect on questions surrounding women’s autonomy, motherhood and the power governments attempt to exercise over personal decisions.

The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and quickly established Mungiu as one of the potential voices of contemporary European cinema. The impact of the film went far beyond the prices and good reviews. Even within my own social circle, growing up in a conservative Latin American environment, the movie generated conversations about abortion and morality that reminded me how close parts of our societies still feel to the Romania portrayed in the film.

Mungiu followed this success with Beyond the Hills, once again selected for competition at Cannes. The film shifts its focus toward religion and the Orthodox Church through the relationship of two young women whose emotional connection collides with institutional belief and repression. What impressed me most was the absence of stereotypes. Mungiu avoids reducing faith or religion into something simplistic; instead, he reveals the contradictions and moral ambiguities inside institutions meant to provide guidance and spiritual order. As someone raised within a deeply religious environment in Latin America while simultaneously feeling disconnected from it, the film resonated with me strongly. Beyond its religious themes, it is also a film about control, belonging and emotional dependency. The movie received the award for Best Screenplay at Cannes, while its two lead actresses shared the prize for Best Actress.

His next film, Graduation, remains my personal favourite among his works. Once again, Mungiu builds an ethical dilemma around family and social corruption. The film follows a father determined to secure a better future for his daughter, even if doing so means compromising his own principles. How far can someone go for the future of their kids? At what point does survival within a corrupt system become participation in it? These are the kinds of questions that constantly appear in Mungiu’s cinema. The fractured family dynamics and the quiet pressure surrounding every decision felt incredibly familiar to me, almost as if the story could have taken place in Peru instead of Romania. It reminded me once again how cinema can deeply connect countries and realities that appear distant from each other. For Graduation, Mungiu won the award for Best Director at Cannes.

His latest feature, R.M.N., also premiered in competition at Cannes. By this point, Mungiu has become inseparable from the festival itself. His films consistently generate serious discussion because they confront social tensions without simplifying them. R.M.N. explores racism, xenophobia and hypocrisy within a Romanian town after a local company hires workers from Sri Lanka. What makes the film particularly powerful is the contradiction at its centre: many of the same people expressing hostility toward immigrants are themselves dependent on migration and labour opportunities elsewhere in Europe. The prejudice shown in the film felt painfully recognizable to me as a Latin American immigrant living in Europe. The subtle forms of rejection, the comments that may appear small to others but slowly accumulate emotionally, are portrayed with remarkable precision by Mungiu.

Because of my connection to his previous films, Fjord is one of the projects I anticipate the most this year. It also marks an important moment in his career, as it is his first feature filmed outside Romania. The story follows a Romanian family moving to Norway and stars Sebastian Stan alongside Renate Reinsve, one of the most exciting actresses in contemporary European cinema. Even without knowing much more about the project, the combination of Mungiu’s direction, the themes of migration and displacement, and the casting already makes it one of my most anticipated films of the year. And, unsurprisingly, another major Cannes title that could become one of the defining cinematic experiences of the season.