That was an excellent one.

Simply A Masterpiece

Load of rubbish!!

A Disappointing Continuation

This film is unusual and inspiring. It tells a story of loss and grief that is healed through connecting with others - finding a community.

As it is in Heaven (Så som i himmelen) tells the story of Daniel Dareus, a world-famous composer who is forced to retire due to his failing heart. He returns to the village where he grew up, intending to lead a quiet life. However, a position as the choir director at the local church throws him into the midst of every personal problem the various choir members have. He teaches them to find their own voice within the music, freeing each person from their vices and woes. While it is meant to be a touching look at the power of music, the film transcends sentimentality to reach melodrama, losing the message in the process.Daniel (portrayed by Michael Nyqyist of Millennium Trilogy fame) is a high-powered conductor, demanding and talented. He screams at his performers until they meet his expectations. His standards prove to be his downfall though, as he suffers a heart attack, forcing early retirement. He reminds me of a more refined version of the classic man-child trope—his childhood was absorbed by music, so he is finally able to look into pursuits such as swimming and biking. His looks of delight are genuine, but also just goofy. Daniel takes over as cantor of the local church choir and begins to train them into his ways. My liking of the film began to break down as early as this point; I found it hard to believe that a director with such high standards would so quickly be patient with the untrained villagers.His road to success is impeded by several major blockades. First, each member of his choir has something holding him or her back. Lena, the attractive young blond, has trust issues due to a previous relationship. Arne is overbearing and obnoxious, willing to do anything to get the group together. Gabriella has a beautiful voice, but is stifled by her abusive husband. For each of these people, the choir is a place where they can begin to work past their problems and begin to heal. Gabriella is the most affected; she finally finds the courage to leave her husband and escape from the constant abuse. The other choir members take her in and protect her from the husband's raging. While it is nice to see each member working toward something, it is also clear that each character is an extreme version of something, almost to the point of being a parody. Also pushing the choir together is the resistance of the church towards their improvement and popularity, a plot point that I find troubling. The general goal of religion is to spread and influence more and more members to come into the fold, seeking salvation. The church as depicted here is strict and exclusive. It seems that only people who meet a certain set of standards are allowed to even step through the doors. The pastor and Siv, an incredibly religious woman, become determined to excise Daniel from his position as cantor, because he is actually doing some good for the people of the town. Most churches are welcoming to seekers; they are just hurting themselves at this point. This contributes heavily to the overwhelming feeling of melodrama. The various reactions to the problems caused by the church and among the choir members are entirely over the top. The pastor ends up having a nervous breakdown, precipitated by his wife leaving him after he refuses to reinstate Daniel. She won't even talk to him and even appears to be catatonic. Of course, all of these problems are headed toward resolution when the choir chooses to disassociate from the church and follow Daniel. Why? The healing power of music. There were far too many instances throughout the film of an argument being immediately followed by a group song. In a way, it began to remind me of Glee, where everything problem is solved by singing it out. And ultimately, a significant event at the end of the film seems to suggest that many of the initial problems will go unsolved. There is clearly meant to be a message here about music, the emotions it evokes, and the power of a group of people. However, it is buried beneath layers and layers of cheesiness and extreme versions of characters. The film isn't absolutely terrible, but I definitely don't agree with the reviewers who really loved it. It had potential, but failed due to getting bogged down in the details. I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Through music, humans can express the yearnings of our souls and form deep bonds with those around us. Kay Pollack's Oscar nominated Film, As it is in Heaven, explores the power of music and the lasting effects it can have on a community. Despite the film's tired and overused plot line, it shines with complex, appealing characters and an exploration of both the relationships and the isolation the villagers feel among each other.The film takes off running, and within the first ten minutes, Daniel (played by a brooding yet charming Michael Nyqvist) experiences childhood bullying, watches his mother die, becomes a world famous conductor, and has a heart attack while conducting in Milan. Thankfully, the movie slows down after this introduction, and Daniel settles into a quiet life in his old hometown to spend some time "listening". What follows is a standard formula–the town pastor, a fussy, sin-obsessed man, gives Daniel control over the ragtag band of villagers who make up the church choir. Daniel's passion to "create music that will open a person's heart" succeeds, and his arrival in the town triggers sweeping changes.The film works due to its vivid characterization of individual members of the choir and their journeys to self-discovery once Daniel enables them to learn how to truly listen to themselves and each other. The choir, often acting as a group therapy session, enables the villagers (all a little broken in their own way) to reveal their secrets and frustrations.A running theme throughout the film is that though the townspeople are incredibly close (in some cases, spending their entire lives together), they are often too apathetic or scared to address each other's clearly present problems. Arne has bullied Holmfrid for 35 years. Gabriella's husband (and Daniel's childhood bully) beats her everyday, but no one acknowledges it. The whole town knew about Lena's boyfriend and his adulterous behavior, but no one bothered to tell her. Music allows these characters to break their isolation and overcome these experiences. In one example, Gabriella's empowering solo in which she finally proclaims "my life is only mine," gives her the courage to finally leave her husband.The villagers aren't the only ones who learn how to open up and love themselves–Daniel is affected as well. He begins to take down his self-imposed walls of isolation with the help of Lena. Their relationship is sweet and fairly innocent (though the fact that Daniel was considerably older than Lena was somewhat off putting). Lena aids Daniel in regaining the simple joys of childhood, such as riding a bike ("You're the one always talking about balance!" she teases). "Welcome home," she tells him, when he tearfully reveals that he was raised in the village.The spiritual aspects of As it is in Heaven are not as prominent as the title may lead a viewer to believe. Early on, we listen in on a church service very focused on sin and flawed human nature, but it's a long time before anything overtly Christian is mentioned again. The most interesting insights into spirituality come from the women in the film. The empowering experiences in the choir cause Inger to reveal the secret belief she has harbored for 20 years: sin is an invention of the church that only exists in your head. "God doesn't forgive, don't you get that?" Inger says to her husband, the pastor, "Because He's never condemned." This confession rocks their already unstable marriage, and ultimately causes Inger to leave. The revelation seems somewhat out of place, mostly due to the lack of religion overall in the rest of the film. Its controversial implications are never brought up again outside the scene. There are some obvious (perhaps too obvious) Christian metaphors in the movie–the cross falls when Siv slams the door on the "sinful" choir, and the women tending to Daniel and wrapping him in white cloth after Conny beats him is reminiscent of the women tending to Jesus after the crucifixion.Lena's contribution to the film's spirituality is more typical of her character's behavior. Lena is often portrayed as an angel throughout the film, bringing a vibrant joy to all her interactions. It makes sense when, near the end of the film, she asks Daniel, "Do you believe in angels? If I squint, sometimes I see their wings." Lena helps Daniel see the good in everyone, and instinctively reassures him about his fears of death. "There is no death," she tells him. And she's right. Though the film ends with Daniel's physical death (a predictable and somewhat melodramatic note, compared to the compelling realism present in the rest of the film), he lives on through the music he has created and the community he has built around it.

This beautiful movie is a fine work of art and tells us the Sweden of Garbo and Ingrid Bergen still lives. Only the title seems out of line. The story isn't about heaven or music or even Sweden. All of its beauty is devoted to love; free love. It's real, awesome beauty, too! We're offered a superb cast of cinematic actors, topped by Michael Nyquist, whom I'd never before seen. He's the bona fide charmer in this story; never taking a false step; until we see the end of it all.It begins as a paean to sensitivity and inclusive love. The love of people and of music. The setting is Sweden; Norrland, and we have nothing but exquisite Swedish acting. The music also becomes incomparable as the plot thickens. No one could ever deny the sheer talent that went into As It Is In Heaven. The young Swedish heroine Lena, played by Frida Hallgren, actually convinces us she's an angel who can see other angels. Spoilers ahead: Only we find out in time she's a seductress, of whom the whole town is resentful except one young autistic character, who really resembles an angel. Lena comes to represent in this story, the supposed power of free love over Christian love.With no apologies.Most of the others in this town, who join in their church's choir; are portrayed as rough, morose and unromantic overall. Their pastor is exposed gradually as a vile hypocrite, and he comes to hate our musician hero Daniel; who takes away his Christian congregation. How? With LOVE! Whereas, Lena the angelic heroine is seen as bold goodness and honesty; because she's liberated and always cool. Bed-hopping and stripping naked are seen here as angelic because: After all this is the Sweden of Garbo and Ingrid Bergman. Graphically we learn this is hardly As It Is in heaven.Love conquers all, we're hammered at. The writers tell you how unhappy people of faith always are. They're wife-beaters, bigots and false prophets. And they know nothing about LOVE. Only a cupid from Sweden can explain love to movie fans. We must be taught there is no sin in any sexual way, no penalty for it, and no impediment at all to immorality. All that isn't pumped up is Swedish homosexual love. In the golden years of Hollywood Greta Garbo as Anna Karenina had to step into an oncoming train paying for her sexual liberation. Now a film from her homeland tells us we should give up all those superstitions about free love's consequences. (Just stick to the script, where they'll tell you all the inside scoop.) This film deserves a 4 for great acting. Not a film for your children to see. Unless you want to see them become oversexed romantics.