Fjord is a politically charged, deeply skeptical societal drama that has the intelligence never to pivot towards melodrama. Its director Cristian Mungiu was awarded the Palmes d’or at this year’s Cannes film festival. He also won in 2007 for 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days. The film follows a devout Christian couple (an unrecognizable Sebastian Stan, who is remarkably not wearing a bald cap, and a pitch-perfect Renate Reinsve) who, shortly after moving from Romania to Norway, are accused of physically abusing their children. With cool detachment, Mungiu takes aim at the well-intentioned progressive community. He avoids close-ups that would lay emphasis, choosing instead to remain distant, which at times feels cruel—not unlike the subject he so meticulously depicts. The film explores the hot-button issues of immigration and religion, now at the centerof European politics. —Paul Malle

Paul Malle is a film producer and director based in Paris