As It Is In Heaven (20 jaar)

Twenty years ago, this Swedish film was a major international box office hit — and now it returns to the big screen. This moving drama follows world-renowned conductor Daniel Daréus, who retreats to his childhood village in northern Sweden after suffering a heart attack, hoping to recover in peace. When he encounters the local choir, he feels compelled to take them under his wing. After the passion and demands of his career nearly cost him his life, Daréus moves back to the remote village where he was born. Due to painful childhood memories — and having changed his name — no one recognizes him, allowing him to quietly settle into the old village schoolhouse. Against his better judgment, he begins working with the local church choir, slowly opening up in the process. His unconventional methods stir something in the villagers — not just in the choir’s voices, but in long-buried tensions and emotions. The lives of Daréus and the villagers will never be the same again. As It Is in Heaven was a huge success upon its release in 2004 and even earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. It marked the comeback of director Kay Pollak, who had stepped away from filmmaking for many years after the assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme.