Mihal (Sebastian Stan) and Lisbet Gheorgiu (Renate Reinsve), a deeply religious Romanian Norwegian couple, move with their five children to a small coastal village in a Norwegian fjord following the death of Mihal’s father.
Despite their conservative, Bible-based beliefs, they soon strike up a friendship with their neighbours, the much more progressive Halberg family. When their daughter Elia turns up at school one day with bruises, the village community is shocked and increasingly begins to turn against the couple’s strict religious upbringing of their children.What happens when worldviews collide? To what extent should people conform, and what remains of personal freedom when they do? These are the questions explored by Romanian director Cristian Mungiu in this compelling drama, based on true events.
Following its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, the film received a twelve-minute standing ovation and was awarded the Palme d’Or, the festival’s highest honour for Best Film.