Sometimes, inspiration is where you least expect it…

Perhaps it is no wonder that it took 18 years for Kay Pollak to make another movie. His Älska mej! (1986) was hotly debated because of troubles during and after the making of it; it also went over budget by several million Swedish kronor. Things happen and it’s a shame that it took Pollak so long to make As It Is in Heaven. The new film was hailed by a few critics and loved by crowds in several countries… but I can’t help but feel very disappointed.

We are introduced to the world-famous, celebrated conductor Daniel Daréus (Michael Nyqvist) who is so devoted to his music that it could actually be the end of him. He has a mental breakdown, refuses to work with music again and goes back home to the hamlet in northern Sweden where he was born. He doesn’t intend to do anything else there but “listen”, but judging from the fact that he’s easily drawn into the church choir practices, Daniel is clearly unable to hear anything but music. Its members are more than willing to obey his genius. As he is charmed by Lena (Frida Hallgren), a supermarket teller, Daniel is also confronted by the more conservative elements of the village who feel threatened by the “newcomer”.

Is there a familiar tinge to the story? Definitely for Swedish viewers who will recognize the concept from another Swedish classic, House of Angels (1992). There’s a stranger coming to a closed community, stirring up powerful emotions; there’s Ylva Lööf whose character is very similar to the one Viveka Seldahl played in that movie; emotions are shamelessly manipulated, the countryside is portrayed as the only place that has beauty and the power to make you realize what life is about. And then there’s the clichéd vision of the church as hopelessly backwards and perhaps even dangerous. Trust me, director Colin Nutley did a much better job with all of the above in House of Angels. Pollak’s film covers many topics and ingredients, such as the liberating effect of singing in a choir, Christians acting like hypocrites, and men using their wives as punching bags… but he rarely finds original ways of approaching them. There’s tremendous joy in some sequences and a kind of naturalness that obviously appeals to audiences. But there’s no reason why this rather simple story takes such a long time to evolve, and the director is unable to rein in some of the performances; too many characters have too many crazy outbursts over very insignificant matters. And then there’s the manipulation; the director uses every weapon in his arsenal to coax tears from us, and it’s just too much. However, as expected, the music is excellent; once again Stefan Nilsson gets to prove why he’s the leading Swedish composer of film scores. The scene where Helen Sjöholm sings “Gabriellas sång” together with the choir is the one time where I don’t mind being manipulated.

This isn’t one of Michael Nyqvist’s finest performances, but he does manage to convey the mental torture his character is going through. Hallgren is a ray of light in her breakthrough, Lennart Jähkel perfect as the boisterous Arne and several other supporting actors do a fine job. If only Pollak had given them better material to work with.

As It Is in Heaven 2004-Sweden-Denmark. 132 min. Color. Written and directed by Kay Pollak. Cinematography: Harald Paalgard. Music: Stefan Nilsson. Song: ”Gabriellas sång” (Stefan Nilsson). Cast: Michael Nyqvist (Daniel Daréus), Frida Hallgren (Lena), Helen Sjöholm (Gabriella), Lennart Jähkel, Ingela Olsson, Niklas Falk… Per Morberg.

Trivia: Original title: Så som i himmelen.

Published 2004-11-11 18:41