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Plot summary for

Så som i himmelen (2004)
A successful international conductor suddenly interrups his career and returns alone to his childhood
village in Norrland, in the far north of Sweden.It doesn't take long before he is asked to come and listen to
the fragment of a church choir, which practises every Thursday in the parish hall. Just come along and
give a little bit of good advice. He can't say no, and from that moment, nothing in the village is the same
again. The choir develops and grows. He makes both friends and enemies. And he finds love. Written by
Sonet Film

Daniel (Michael Nyqvist)is a renowned conductor, who suffered a painful childhood in his native town of
Norrland. There, Daniel was bullied by his school mates, while he was trying to develop a musical career
with his mother support. Now, as a conductor, Daniel is very temperamental and has an intolerant
character with his musicians as well. He also has a strange condition, which makes him bleed from the
nose. After a concert, he has a heart attack. Despite Daniel has professional commitments for the next 10
years, he decides to return to Norrland and make an indefinite retire. In Norrland, Daniel sets in the old
and abandoned primary school. The local reverend asks Daniel to work as the church choir's conductor,
formed by all kind of villagers, with all kind of problems. Daniel first task will be to teach the choir
members to find their own voice tone, and the musical basis. Lena (Frida Hallgren), a charismatic girl, will
call Daniel's attention immediately. But Daniel will have to struggle with other problems in the choir, like, a
woman who is beaten by their drunk husband, and the prejudices of some members, whom think that
Daniel is more interested in Lena than in the choir. However, the envious reverend will begin to feel
relegated by Daniel, and will take seriously the accusations about he and Lena. Daniel will have his
chance to prove the contrary, taking his group to an important contest, taking place in Viena, Austria.
Written by Alejandro Frias

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382330/usercomments

IMDb user comments for

Så som i himmelen (2004)
56 out of 65 people found the following comment useful :-
Wonderful, inspiring film that touches important themes, 29 January 2005
10/10
Author: Rob from United States

I really loved this movie and so did the audience that I saw it with in Los Angeles. After the film, lots of
people were crying and saying how much the film had affected them. I can see why it was such a huge hit
in its homeland, Sweden. The film is masterfully directed and each character brilliantly drawn so that by
the end you really know these people and care about them. The music is very natural and the main song
in the film quite heartbreaking but inspiring. Would definitely recommend this film for everyone to see -
even people who don't normally go to subtitled films. Definitely deserved the Oscar Nomination because
of the profound themes of the film reflected without pretension in a small-town community with everyday
people. It is a film that unites us in this divided world and shows us the potential of the human spirit. A
MUST SEE!
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48 out of 51 people found the following comment useful :-

A wonderful and Moving Film, 16 January 2005
9/10
Author: David Smith from United States
This film, recently voted as an audience favorite at the 2005 Palm Springs International Film Festival, is
inspiring and moving. A famous conductor, forced to retire by illness, returns to the small village of his
birth to become the leader of the church choir, and finally find fulfillment in his music. Drawing on
Sweedish traits of keeping things within oneself and of the insular character of a small Swedish village,
this film develops each of its characters well. superbly directed, acted and sung, it brought tears to many
eyes, and smiles to all. Hopefully it will find distribution in the United States.

If you can, see it!

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39 out of 45 people found the following comment useful :-

Fantastic movie, 21 August 2005
9/10
Author: marleen_verbeek from Netherlands

Wow I loved this movie! It is about normal life in a small village. About hypocrisy and honesty, love and
surrender. Great! It is about things everybody encounters in life. You have to do things with passion. But
some people will not appreciate your passion and will try to stop you. There are people who find the
opinion of others and 'what will the neighbors think' more important than to follow their heart. Don't let
anybody's opinion stop you from fulfilling your dreams and passion. I loved the fact that the actors were
all really normal people, it could have been my family. No big beauties, but all people you fall in love with
during the movie.
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28 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-

A Movie that you keep thinking about, 21 June 2005
8/10
Author: aanderberg from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This is one of those movies that you keep thinking about when you wake up the next morning. It will give
you that warm, fuzzy feeling and leave you with a smile on your face.

Sure, we get fed the typical stereotype characters and stories, but it does do the trick: Entertain.

Being from Sweden and living in the US for quite sometime, it is funny how we react. "The deadbeat
husband is going to kill him", "She (Gabriella) is going to die and then there will be a heartbreaking larger-
than-life ending". We know how these things work, everything comes together at the end. And it did. The
characters were somewhat simple, they were so elaborate that you didn't really think twice about it,
nothing was really left for your own imagination. The closest would probably be Siv, she makes you ask
yourself if she indeed was in love with Daniel, but that's about it.

But the movie is beautiful, set in rural Norrland, the music is absolutely amazing and the characters are
lovable. Michael Nyqvist is truly genius, with his crazy unique look and Frida Hallberg is charming and
approachable. Maybe a little too nice.

But most of all this movie makes you feel, and that is the most important thing. You cry, you laugh, you
hate and you identify. I don't know about you guys, but that does not happen that often.
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24 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :-

A symphony of love, 7 February 2006
10/10
Author: Thomas Williams from Sweden
I am not going to spoil the contents to anyone, who has not yet watched this humble masterpiece by Kay
Pollak.

A world famous conductor brilliantly played by Michael Nyqvist seeks peace from stress by moving back
to his childhood village. The villagers, who has followed the genius in silence, are slowly tempting him to
share of his greatness.

Each role in this movie, has a very specific purpose and shows a remarkable potential in each of the
actors playing their own chord in short but precise words, a symphony of love.

Not love in the sense of relationship, but in the tone of the spirit deeply buried within each of the
characters, each revealing their own present story, their needs, their skeletons, desires and much more.

I shall not forget to mention, the two main parts played by Frida Hallgren and Michael Nyqvist, whose
dramas are played in unforgettable harmonies of emotional feedback. They touch each other with a pain
connected in their own disability to love themselves.

Michael Nyqvist is really put to the test here in a very difficult setup, in one of those movies that either end
up as catastrophic or fantastic. And fantastic it became from start to end, not one second less or more
than enough, you are left with a feeling of change and a taste for more.

To this day, definitely one of the best movies I have had the pleasure of watching.
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23 out of 27 people found the following comment useful :-

A superb film, among the best I've ever seen., 21 November 2005
10/10
Author: tonymarciniec from Turkey

First I was caught totally off guard by the film's initial lyricism and then I became totally enchanted with the
unfolding story and engrossed with the brilliant directing. The characters were all fully developed, not
bigger-than-life but just like the people we live among anywhere we are in the world, in Sweden, in Turkey
or in America, all completely believable human beings with foibles and nobility. Hollywood could learn so
much from this beautiful film. It shows that there is no need to go into every little detail behind every
action to bring out the whole theme clear and bright, and that shows the brilliance of the director! Hearfelt
thanks to Kay Pollak and the wonderful cast for this superb treat!!
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20 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-

Very well done, exceptionally moving, 5 June 2005
10/10
Author: jsmorton from United States

If the screenwriter and director intended to open hearts with the movie as the musician wanted to do with
his music, they succeeded with me. Commonplace human situations became original, personal and
immediate so that I personally felt touched by each situation. I believe I would credit the power of music
combined with the point of view of the person writing the movie. Without spoiling, I can say that I was very
moved by the movie's approach to living. Haven't actually cried out of-what- joy? empathy? just deep
emotion? in a very long time. I would love to find a way to show it to others. Saw it at Seattle International
Film Festival.
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16 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-

Divinity of existence, 23 May 2005
8/10
Author: jon_a_au from Norway

A beautiful film, touching profoundly up the simple, yet divine aspects of humanity.

This movie was almost perfect, and seeing as nothing in this world can be truly perfect, that is pretty
good. The only minor thing I subjectively object to, is the pacing at some points in the middle of the story.
The acting is also very good, and all the actors easily top actors in high-profile films. The actual directing
seems to have been well thought through, and the script must have been amazing. There are some truly
breathtaking moments of foreshadowing, and a quite gorgeous continuing circular composition of the
story.

The moment in the movie, when the main character achieves that feeling of being in heaven is the perfect
ending to a truly brilliant yarn.
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14 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-

no extras all pure enjoyment, 13 February 2006
10/10
Author: ImDb-9174 from Austria

Back to the roots with "like it is in heaven" - what are the real values of life? These Swedes carve out a
message that appeals to every heart. We've seen it twice now in a cinema packed to the last seat: love
pure and joy within the music of a choir that's simple, yet full of power once everyone finds his or her
inner tone.

From the glitter of fame to the school of of his youth, now empty and ready to be adapted as his new
home after collapsing on stage, Daniel wants to start listening and is drawn into the lives of the simple,
warm and rough people of the North.

He wins the hearts with music and gains the capacity to love and be loved unconditionally.

Don't go see it if you've been normed to Hollywood. This stuff contains no extras, just your laughter, your
compassion, your tears!
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13 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-

A true feel-good film, 17 June 2005
10/10
Author: Ting_13

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

My expectations were quite high for this film. Everyone I know who saw this film at the cinema told me
that everyone there stayed through the credits because they were so touched. My expectations could not
have been any higher, anything short of wonderful would have disappointed me.

I was anything but disappointed by this movie. I loved how it dealt with difficult subjects without going
through the usual steps a Hollywood film tends to include. In this film characters worked through problems
they had had for decades, they worked through prejudicm, they learned to open up. But it did not come
easily, and not just by singing a song or two. It was painful, it took arguments, it took confrontations. It felt
like real life.

One scene that really stuck out to me was the scene in which Gabriella sings her song. Helen Sjöholm is
one of my favorite singers, her voice is lovely, and you could tell that she was not just lip-syncing to a
previous recording during filming (which I often find in other movies), she really sang with her whole body
and soul. You could feel what Gabriella was feeling in that scene. Had this movie been made in
Hollywood her song would most likely have been sung toward the end, and it would have made her
husband open his eyes and see the error of his ways, as well as making the other people in the village
realise a thing or two. Instead it came halfway through, and it did not bring any solutions. Her husband did
not become overwhelmed and realise what he's putting her through, and it didn't seem to make anyone
else in the village more open minded. It was beautiful, it was pure and it was touching but it did not
magically solve all her problems. That felt real to me, that's probably what would have happened in real
life. The whole movie felt like real life to me, nothing neatly wrapped up but everything with a sense of joy
and happiness. You rarely find a movie which feels so realistic.

There were a few things that bothered me, but hey, no movie is perfect. If you haven't already you should
go see "As it is in Heaven" and be filled with a joy for life, a sense of hope and the feeling that you've
been touched on a level movies rarely reach. You will be sad, pained, happy and a dozen other emotions.

Someone once said that if every person in the world sang in a choir there would be no more wars. Having
seen this film I might have to agree.