Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord has been awarded the coveted Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the 10th director to win a second time – but was it a deserving winner?
The acclaimed filmmaker, who previously won for his 2007 abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, has scooped the top prize for his new drama starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as Romanian Evangelicals who relocate to Norway, and clash with the progressive locals after being accused of hitting their children.
Below, The Independent’s Chief Film and TV Correspondent, Jacob Stolworthy, breaks down whether Fjord should have won the Palme d’Or – and looks at the other contenders.
Mungiu’s latest triumph further extends an extraordinary streak for specialty distributor Neon, which has now been associated with the last seven Palme d’Or winners. This unprecedented run underscores the label’s discerning eye for critically acclaimed cinema.
Among the other films that garnered significant attention were Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, a black-and-white postwar reflection on art and politics; Japanese auteur Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s tender three-hour elder care opus All of a Sudden; and Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur, a drama delving into crime and punishment in contemporary Russia.
A late surge of enthusiasm also greeted Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s La Bola Negra (The Black Ball), a sprawling Spanish film about three gay men across generations.
The Palme d’Or remains one of cinema’s most unpredictable accolades, with jury deliberations held in strict privacy. Winning the award instantly elevates a film’s international profile and often positions it as a strong contender for Oscar recognition. This year’s jury also included notable figures such as Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao and Stellan Skarsgård.
Additional reporting by Agencies