As it is in heaven
Johan D. Strydom
Vir dié van julle wat toegang het tot ‘n Ster Kinekor se Cinema Nouveau, beveel ek regtig aan om “As it is in heaven” te gaan kyk. Ek het die vroeër vanjaar saam met my kerk se sanggroep gaan kyk, en hulle was diep ontroerd. Dié film is so gewild dat dit na etlike maande steeds vertoon word – by sekere flieks in 2 teaters gelyk! Moet egter nie ‘n koor verwag wat swaar klassieke musiek sing nie – hierdie musiek kom uit die hart. “As it is in heaven” is een van die MIN films wat ek nog gesien het waar die gehoor tot aan die einde van die krediete sit en daarna hande klap!
Wikipedia skryf die volgende oor die film:
Daniel Daréus (Michael Nyqvist) is a successful and renowned international conductor whose life aspiration is to create music that will open people's hearts. His own heart, however, is in bad shape. After suffering a heart attack on stage at the end of a performance, he retires indefinitely to Norrland in the far north of Sweden, to the village where he endured a terrible childhood of bullying.
Daniel buys the old elementary school in the village, and it isn't long before he is asked to come along one Thursday night and listen to the choir. He is only asked to listen, and maybe offer some helpful advice, but their intentions of persuading him to help are obvious. He eventually reluctantly agrees to assist. After the parish minister offers him the position of cantor, he accepts and sees the choir grow and develop, and rediscovers his own lost joy for music.
Almost immediately, Lena (Frida Hallgren), a young attractive girl in the choir, catches his attention. As they grow closer and fall in love, he realises that he just seems to be surrounded in other people's problems: Inger (Ingela Olsson), who is married to the respected minister, Stig (Niklas Falk), but fails to develop a love life with her husband; Siv (Ylva Lööf), who finds that she is so obsessive over morality that she cannot enjoy herself; Arne (Lennart Jähkel), who is so serious about the choir's success that he obsesses over tiny mistakes when what he doesn't realise is that he is making bigger mistakes himself; Tore (André Sjöberg), who has mental problems but is still insistent on joining the choir; Erik (Lasse Petterson), who has put up with being called "Fatso" by Arne since their childhood and finally stands up for himself; and finally, Gabriella (Helen Sjöholm), who is beaten and abused by her husband, Conny (Per Morberg), who turns out to be a bully who was at school with Daniel.
The choir is accepted into the annual "Let the People Sing" competition, and they journey to Innsbruck, Austria to perform. On the day, the choir is ready to sing on the stage but Daniel is nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, Daniel's heart is affected by his anxiety and he has another heart attack. He staggers into the restroom, unsure of how to handle the situation, when he stumbles and hits his head on the piping below one of the basins, causing him to bleed severely.
He lies helplessly on the tiles, blood gushing from his head, listening to the choir harmonising over the loud speakers. He smiles to himself and it is suggested he dies, in utter happiness.