Overview
A journey of rediscovery and love unfolds in a quaint Swedish village as music brings people together.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- warm
- cathartic
- uplifting
- music film night
- uplifting weekend viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film predictable but warmly effective, praising its rural Swedish setting, capable direction, and strong ensemble performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Daniel reshapes the village church choir into a more open collective, allowing members to confront isolation, fear, and buried pain through singing.
Daniel abandons his international conducting career and goes back to the Swedish village where his early life left a suppressed emotional imprint.
The growing choir makes Daniel both friends and enemies as established village relationships and religious authority are unsettled.
Choir rehearsals and concert preparation repeatedly turn musical performance into visible emotional release for Gabriella, Lena, Arne, and the wider ensemble.
Films like As It Is in Heaven, and why
Together
Swedish ensemble drama centered on community, personal healing, and music with a warm, uplifting tone
Brassed Off
Music-driven drama about an outsider transforming a close-knit community through collective performance
The Choirboys
Emotionally direct choir drama combining communal singing, self-discovery, romance, and catharsis
The Sapphires
Rural community story where music, suppressed pain, and intimate relationships produce heartfelt transformation
Movie Details
- Director
- Kay Pollak
- Release Date
- 2004-09-03
- Runtime
- 132 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (197)
Cast
- Michael Nyqvist
- Frida Hallgren
- Helen Sjöholm
- Lennart Jähkel
- Ingela Olsson
- Verena Buratti
- Ulla-Britt Norrman-Olsson
- Per Morberg
- Barbro Kollberg
- Niklas Falk
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Viaplay Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is As It Is in Heaven about?
- A celebrated Swedish conductor rebuilds a troubled village choir and discovers that communal music can unlock friendship, love, and long-suppressed wounds.
- What is As It Is in Heaven like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of As It Is in Heaven as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is As It Is in Heaven violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in As It Is in Heaven as mild.
- What did critics think of As It Is in Heaven?
- Critics broadly found the film predictable but warmly effective, praising its rural Swedish setting, capable direction, and strong ensemble performances.
- Which films are like As It Is in Heaven?
- Films with a similar feel include Together, Brassed Off, The Choirboys, and The Sapphires.
- How long is As It Is in Heaven?
- As It Is in Heaven runs 132 minutes.
- Where can I watch As It Is in Heaven?
- In United States, As It Is in Heaven streams on Viaplay Amazon Channel.
