This searching, Palme d’Or-winning moral dilemma pits preaching conservative Christian parents against a holier-than-thou liberal system.

After the deaths of Mihai’s parents, Mihai and Lisbeth Gheorghiu leave everything behind in Romania and move with their children to a remote village in Norway, hoping to rebuild their lives near Lisbeth’s family.

There, they grow close to their neighbours, the Halbergs, whose warmth offers the promise of a fresh start. But the fragile peace begins to unravel when the Gheorghius’ young daughter, Elia, arrives at school covered in bruises.

Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) masterfully crafts an ambivalent social drama that raises fundamental questions and avoids easy answers, asking us to ponder how unbiased our own sense of empathy is