Festival season is in full swing, and I'm beyond excited to begin my reviews for this year's Toronto International Film Festival. This is one I didn't expect to get to see during the fest, but fate has funny ways of working and rather than having my expected empty first night of the festival I was seated for a 9:30pm screening of one of my most anticipated of the fall.
Cristian Mungiu's Palme d'Or winning film follows a family who moves from the father Mihai's native Romania to his wife Lisbet's home country Norway. They and their four children are initially welcomed with open arms to their new home, but when a teacher becomes suspicious of physical abuse to one of their children, Mihai and Lisbet see their family unit uprooted as they are put under investigation. The proceeding investigation and trial put both their approach to parenting and their more conservative religoius and domestic beliefs at the forefront as the couple fights to regain custody of their children.
This is a fascinating film largely due to the nuanced way Mungiu tackles dynamic between more conservative and progressive viewpoints as well as the cultural divide between this family of Romanians and their new home in Norway. Mungiu asks us as viewers to empathize with people whose views are likely quite different from our own, especially for me in the instense relationship with religion. Mungiu puts this divide at the forefront of everything, critiquing but not damning each side of the coin. We empathize with two parents whose children are stripped from them without much warning, despite their worldview being one riddled with values that don't really fit the contemporary landscape (especially that of Norway). The film also naturally raises questions about how to raise children, and where we draw the line when it comes to their upbringing.
Part of what makes this work so well is the duo of outstanding performances by Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as Mihai and Lisbet. Sebastian Stan is one of the most fascinating actors working today, balancing his work with Marvel with big swings like The Apprentice and A Different Man. Here we get to see him acting in his native Romanian, and he throws himself fully into this complex character. Reinsve is quite possibly my favourite actor out there right now, and she too continues a trend of taking on complex characters, this time offering a delicate balance between a mother struggling with having her children taken and a woman firm in her beliefs. The child performances alongside the two are pretty special as well, as is Lisa Carlehed as the family's neighbour and eventual lawyer.
The cold and isolated Norweigian setting only amplifies the tensions that ripple through the film, and editor Mircea Olteanu weaves this story in a way that leaves you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen. This is a film I can see deterring some, but I was hooked from start to finish despite the long runtime. I'm not sure how this one will play out come Oscar season, but the Palme d'Or winner is more than worth a watch and was a fantastic way to start the festival for me. 4.5/5
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