A progressive government takes away a Christian familys kids in controversial movie Fjord

Running time: 146 minutes.Not yet rated.

In theaters Oct.9.Truth be told, I was a little bjored at “Fjord.”Movies about Scandinavia can have that anesthetizing effect, with their monotonous, stone-faced conversations and cultural aversion to openly expressed emotion.

Those herring lovers enjoy nothing more than blankly staring out at the, well, fjord. But Romanian director Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or-winning movie with Oscar buzz now at the Toronto International Film Festival has an enticingly controversial set-up: a local Norwegian government takes away a Christian family’s five kids after teachers spot two bruises on a young girl’s arm.Reasonable, right? Not so fast.There are other possible causes of the injuries.

She’s wrestling in gym class, for instance, and the neighbors’ daughter has been pushing teen Elia (Vanessa Ceban) and her brother Emmanuel (Jonathan Ciprian Breazu) to jump out of their bedroom window for kicks. Yet the authorities in the proudly progressive town don’t bother to pursue those other theories, so distrusting of the non-traditional parents they are. Even the kids are antagonized by intolerant adults.When Elia casually plucks out “Amazing Grace” on the piano in a classroom, her frigid teacher has the gall to say, “We don’t do evangelizing in school.” Sheesh.And locals are appalled that the Gheorghiu children aren’t allowed to listen to modern music or watch YouTube, as if that alone is tantamount to abuse.

Isn’t what they do at home their parents’ decision? An American’s view on these debates will likely differ from a European’s. From my perspective, though, Mungiu’s mostly balanced film, set in an extremely depressing enclave by the sea in Norway, largely sides with the Christians, played by Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve.Shocking! Movies tend to wag their fingers at religious types, not sympathize with or attempt to understand them. But this also isn’t a “Doubt” or an “Anatomy ...