Imagine a little boy who has a dream, a passion--but it's outside the realm of what's normal where he lives. Picture a small village in Sweden or the most poverty-ridden or affluent neighborhood of San Antonio.
The setting could be anywhere because it's a universal story: a child has a dream and other kids set about to bully him out of it. Or adults dismiss the dream and suggests that the child doesn't have what it takes, or hand him one of their own instead.
In the movie, As It Is In Heaven, the boy dreams of making music "to open the hearts" of everyone. The bullies in his village beat him up and call him a "fiddler."
It only takes one person to rescue a child and his (or her) dream--and in this story, it's his young widowed mother who believes in him. He goes on to become an acclaimed conductor after her untimely death.
Daniel's passion makes him successful, but his frenzied work also leads to heart problems (ironically enough) and he collapses after a performance.
Of all places, he returns to the village of his childhood to recuperate, buys his old elementary school to live in, and sets about to live a reclusive life, "just listening."
Imagine what it must be like for an accomplished musician to live in a place where the only music in town comes from a motley choir in a little church. Picture people like people anywhere--old, young, angry, kind--all gathered to practice songs for Sunday services. One is handicapped, another is repeatedly beaten by her drunken husband, another is the spunky preacher's wife....
This two-hour film (Oscar nominee for best foreign film) is a study in opening of hearts. It's understated, poignant, and unforgettable.
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