The director Christian Mungiu described Fjord as a response to an increasingly polarized world in which opposing groups are convinced that they alone possess the truth. For him, the problem arises when progressive values are no longer argued or negotiated but simply imposed. A majority—however educated or socially progressive it may consider itself—can still behave as a majority, expecting minorities to conform rather than attempting to understand why they believe what they believe. The film therefore becomes less a defence of conservative values than an argument for the necessity of dialogue, including dialogue with positions we may strongly oppose.