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.
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.