As It Is In Heaven

‘As It Is In Heaven’ sweet, uplifting film

Lorber

PEOPLE REFLECT their love of singing in “As It Is in Heaven.”

There’s a bit of heaven in “As It Is in Heaven,” a sweet, wonderful film that does a nice job of avoiding movie cliches.
Released in 2004, it was directed by Kay Pollak.
Michael Nyqvist plays a successful conductor, Daniel Dareus, who has a bad heart that can’t take the strain of conducting.
Early on, we see him conducting the orchestra with blood from an apparent nosebleed flowing down his face.
So he retires to the little Swedish village call Norrland, where he was born but left at a young age. The villagers don’t really remember him but the town had a profound impact on his life.
So he buys the old elementary school to live in, staying warm by feeding hunks of wood in a tiny stove.
The local minister, played by Niklas Falk, invites him to dinner, but he declines, stating he plans to stay alone.
Ah, but not for long. The minister asks him to stop by the church and listen to the choir. Eventually, he takes over as direct when the minister asks him to be cantor.
Now he isn’t your traditional choir director. He spends the first several lessons allowing the choir members to gain a joy of music and movement before ever trying to sing. It’s the musical equivalent of people falling into other peoples’ arms.
The film is less about music and has virtually nothing to do about religion.
Daniel becomes entwined in the lives of the various members.
There’s the beautiful girl who has her eye on Daniel. There is the woman whose husband regularly beats her and the pastor’s wife who finds solace in choir and discovers she can’t stand her sanctimonious husband.
The choir also has a mentally retarded young man who gets so into the music he forgets bathroom breaks and a heavyset individual who has put up with being called “fatso” all of his life.
The choir is accepted to perform in the annual “Let the Peoples Sing” competition in Innsbruck, Austria.
The minister, angry at his wife’s infatuation with Daniel and her love of the choir, fires him as cantor. So everyone wordlessly leaves the church choir and goes to Daniel’s schoolhouse home to continue practicing.
In Austria, the tensions Daniel hoped would be behind him come back because of the competition. He has another heart attack.
It is haunting, it is magical, this film is truly wonderful. At 132 minutes, it is not too long. It really could have gone on longer.
“As It Is in Heaven” is well worth a couple hours of your life. It is inspirational and you will care deeply about the people.

AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
• Directed by Kay Pollak, written by Pollak, Anders Nyberg, Ola Olsson, Carin Pollak and Margaretha Pollak
• Stars Michael Nyqvist, Frida Hallgren and Helen Sjoholm,
• In Swedish with English subtitles
• Runtime 132 minutes
• 4 stars out of 5
• Not rated