Sebastian Stan's "Fjord" Gets Rapturous 12-Minute Standing Ovation at Cannes

 Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu‘s heart-wrenching family legal saga drama "Fjord," starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, had its world premiere in Cannes on Monday night and received a 12-minute ovation.

A Romanian family with strict religious beliefs emigrates to a sleepy Norwegian village — watching as clashing social norms escalates into a living nightmare when their children are stripped from them over alleged abuse. The premiere audience gasped and snorted in disbelief as Stan and Reinsve suffered the indignity of an overreaching state — removing teens, tweens, and an infant from their loving care.

The runners-up ovation-wise at this point in the festival are James Gray’s "Paper Tiger," which last night got a 10-minute salute, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s "All of a Sudden," which on Friday had them clapping for 11 minutes.

While not anywhere near the longest ever ovation at Cannes, all of these are strong showings. For example, Sean Baker’s Anora, which went on to win the festival’s Palme d’Or and later the Best Picture Oscar, got a 10-minute ovation in 2024.

"Fjord" marks Mungiu’s English-language debut and follows the Gheorghiu family — consisting of a Romanian father (Stan) and Norwegian mother (Reinsve) — as they settle into new life in a remote Norwegian village, the mother’s birthplace.

They quickly bond with the Halbergs, who live in the neighboring house near the bay, and, despite their very different upbringings, the children of both families soon become close friends. When the Gheorghius are suspected of disturbing behavior, their lives are thrown into chaos as they become the center of small-town scrutiny.

The film is Mungiu’s first film in three years after the 2022 drama "R.M.N."

The director has competed in Cannes four times, winning the Palme d’Or for "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" in 2007, Best Screenplay for "Beyond The Hills" in 2012, and Best Director for "Graduation" in 2016.

Neon has already snapped up in the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand rights to the film.