The Norwegian-Romanian film “Fjord” about child welfare services’ abuses against a religious family has won the Palme d’Or in Cannes. It is an award that places the Norwegian authorities in considerable embarrassment. Attention surrounding the Norwegian child welfare services is increasing and creating poor publicity for Norway.

Renate Reinsve, known from Joachim Trier’s major films, plays the leading role. Reinsve is well known among Cannes audiences.

The film was met with ten minutes of standing ovation when it was screened.

The premise of “Fjord” is that a Romanian-Norwegian family moves to a coastal town in Norway where their five children are quite soon taken by the authorities, the Norwegian child welfare services.

The family in the film is deeply Christian. When one of the children at school says that homosexuality is a sin, it provokes reactions. A teacher notices bruises on the eldest girl and suspects that her parents have abused her. The child welfare services and the police become involved, language difficulties and cultural clashes lead to the children being forcibly placed, and the matter goes to court.

The film is described as deeply engaging, but no position is taken on whether the authorities were right or wrong to forcibly place the children.

– Life is ambiguous, and that must be respected. Why do they act this way? A film should give the viewer an opportunity to reflect. That is what I want to do, says Mungiu.

He also emphasises that the film should not be perceived as criticism of Norway. It is inspired by several cases he read about some years ago.

– I conducted extensive research, I spoke with many people who themselves had in various ways been involved. The film is fiction, but inspired by real cases. It concerns what happens when your personal values collide with the values of the society to which you have moved, says Mungiu.

A cold Norway

Reviewers have somewhat differing views of the film. “Cristian Mungiu at sea with strange child-abuse drama,” writes The Guardian, giving it two out of five stars. The Telegraph is more positive and writes that “this grand drama about liberal hypocrisy will make your blood boil”.

Adresseavisen believes “Fjord” is an uneven, but at times very good film, though poor publicity for Norway.

– Norwegian values take a blow in an at times brilliant, though somewhat uneven reckoning with the Norwegian child welfare services, the reviewer states.

Also Aftenposten withholds the superlatives, and believes Reinsve is unlikely to win any awards for playing an unsympathetic mother in a film that “tears the Norwegian child welfare services to pieces”.

– Despite beautiful images of majestic mountains and fjords, the film will scarcely function as good publicity for Norway. The film’s icy colours contribute to giving the impression that Norway is a cold, bureaucratic society where it is not necessarily easy to become integrated.

NRK is somewhat more positive, awarding it a five on the dice:

– It is interesting to see what our Norwegian social democracy looks like through a Romanian magnifying glass, writes reviewer Birger Vestmo. (NTB)

The film challenges the Norwegian self-image. Why should a film be assessed according to whether it functions as publicity for Norway?