As It Is in Heaven is a story about love which is channeled through music and is capable of reaching everyone’s heart. The main topic is the infinite love which is the product of the group project and of a noble work which is related to singing and performing music. Other topics which are involved are love, self-accomplishment, jealousy and the strength to stand up for oneself. All of these themes are present in the film and make it remarkable and universal because of its protagonists.
The film As It Is in Heaven deals with infinite love which is promoted by music and it is related to Daniel, the music conductor, and his return to his hometown where he finds love for humanity as well as for a woman. Cities have “business elites, who through a combination of philanthropy, civic pride, and desire to establish their identity as a patrician class, build the majestic art museums, parks, and architectural complexes that represent a world-class city” (Zukin 133-134). These people care for the environment and for the benefit of all of the citizens with whom they share the urban environment. Daniel buys the school upon arriving home and he also accepts to conduct a local choir in spite of having heart problems. Love for the community and for the humanity as a whole is infinite and once it is realized, the real world begins to resemble the one in heaven. This is what heaven on earth is like because there is tolerance, love, respect and support among people. It is important to state that many people like to use their influence for the benefit of the community as a whole because it is the only way which enables them to feel better.
Self-accomplishment is also a theme which is represented in this film and it is related to Daniel and his work in the local community as well as in the world of music as a whole. People respect those who make effort and everybody should be able share their success with the community. Everybody has personal problems, but these can be overcome with the help of the loved ones. “Films attempting to capture the manifestations of global flows in the visual representation of concrete space and the built environment negotiate the relationship between the local and the global” (Mennel 201). In this film, the person who connects the local with the global is Daniel because he brings music and his skills to the small village in the north of Sweden where people have personal difficulties which can be overcome through music. It is not about being selfish, it is about sharing the success with the community and about being generous and a contributing member of the society. Once an influential person sets a personal example of generosity, they are certain to be followed by other people and this will make the quality of life better. There is also a discrepancy between men and women in the society because women are supposed to work in the household while having a career at the same time. It is certain that “millions of women feel that they are to blame if they cannot manage to rise up the ladder as fast as men and also have a family and an active home life (and be thin and beautiful to boot)” (Slauthter). People need to be aware of the fact that it is enough if they do as best as they can because nobody will blame them if they fail when it is a fact that they tried. Being a unique person is important and being an individual because accepting the behavior promoted by the masses can never promote public change. Truly inspiring people are those who dare to be different and who give up earthly pleasure in order to achieve a greater goal. It is best to serve the humanity and to be useful in life because it is the only way which leads to true happiness.
Jealousy affects people in all the societies and in all the cultures because it is a personal trait which stems from personal insecurities. In this film, people who are jealous are Lena, who does not want to lose Daniel and Stig, who is the minister and wants to close the choir down because of its success and because of the fact that it may gain international success. Inger says: “God doesn't forgive because He has never condemned” (Pollak, As It Is in Heaven). It is true that God does not condemn, because people condemn themselves and they can also redeem themselves for being immoral and for behaving unethically. Jealousy affects almost everybody because all of the people have insecurities when it comes to what they cherish the most. “Millions of other working women face much more difficult life circumstances. Some are single mothers; many struggle to find any job; others support husbands who cannot find jobs” (Slaughter). It is not always about love, it is also about having existential difficulties. Family members are supposed to support one another which is why there should be no room for jealously. This feeling has to be avoided for the person to be capable of achieving success in life. It is better to think about one’s own progress than to worry about someone else’s success because there is room for everybody. People need to be encouraged to be successful in life and they should share their success with other people. “Europe’s cities generally have stronger incentives to act” (Rosenthal). Being supportive of another’s success means accepting success as a public benefit. There is no point in being selfish because people need to have the feeling that they are not alone in the world and that their contribution matters. Jealousy is what makes people inhuman and drives him to become antisocial and morally corrupt. Community spirit is based on accepting people as they are and on cherishing their effort. Love is opposite to jealousy because it is connected to freedom. Lena loves Daniel and it is needless for her to fear abandonment because he loves her back. However, jealousy is a strong feeling which can be more powerful than love in some cases and individuals need to put effort to prevent that from happening. The strength of community is based on support and not on competition.
Many people who are bullied in life have to find strength to stand up against the abuser and to fight for themselves. Daniel fights his childhood bullies, Gabriela leaves her abusive husband and Holmfrid resists Arne and forbids him to call him fat. All of this represents the struggle in life which is related to success because there is not one without the other. There are good times in life as well as bad times and both have to be endured on the road to success and to self-accomplishment. All people are equal and that is recognized, but it is also recognized that there are many differences among people: “In practice, of course, the “separate but equal” doctrine perpetuated an oppressive and humiliating reality” (Kennedy). People should not be abused because they are different or because of the fact that somebody is dealing with their insecurities by bullying other people. It takes a lot of courage to gather strength and be able to put up a fight against the abuser and many people are capable of doing that. These people are the real winners in life and their success can be measures by the dignity they have. It is never too late to show one’s true face and empowerment is about being true to oneself. It is not fair to hide one’s true personality from the rest of the world and to allow to be treated as a victim. Everybody deserves to be paid respect and emotionally unstable people need to be encouraged and not bullied.
As It Is in Heaven teaches people discipline and humanity as well as selflessness and having the right attitude towards life. Love is the dominant feeling which conquers all the negativities and there is no room for jealousy in a self-accomplished life. Success needs to be shared which makes the person fully accomplished and standing up for oneself is the main reason for which people have their individualities. Nobody deserves to be bullied and aggression should be channeled in a way towards production and not towards destruction. The community spirit is more important than the benefit of an individual and everybody has to be aware of that.
Works Cited
Zukin, Sharon. The Cultures of Cities. Hoboken: Blackwell Publishers, 1995. Print.
Mennel, Barbara. Cities and Cinema. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print.
Pollak, Key, dir. As It Is in Heaven. Sonet Film, 2004. Film.
Slaughter, Anne-Marrie. "Why Women Still Can’t Have It All." The Atlantic 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-cant-have-it-all/309020/>.
Rosenthal, Elisabeth. "Across Europe, Irking Drivers Is Urban Policy." The New York Times 2011. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/science/earth/27traffic.html?_r=0>.
Kennedy, Randall. "The Civil Rights Act’s Unsung Victory And how it changed the South." Harper's 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://harpers.org/archive/2014/06/the-civil-rights-acts-unsung-victory/>.
