HEAVEN ON EARTH: AS IT IS IN HEAVEN 2/ SA OCK PA JORDEN

Sweden, 2016, 144 minutes, Colour.
Frida Hallgren, Jakob Oftebro, Niklas Falk, Lennart Jahkel.
Directed by Kay Pollak.

As It is In Heaven was an extraordinary box office success in many countries, screening in some Australian cinemas for a year. This has not been the fate of its sequel, Heaven on Earth.

While the original film had a great deal of music, singing, likeable characters in this context, the music has been greatly reduced here, some country music for dancing, some emotional songs, and rehearsals for Handel’s Messiah with an amateur country choir and a range of proper and make-piece instruments.

Lena, the central character of the first film, is now pregnant although Daniel, the choir conductor, has died. Lena (Frida Hallgren) is a lively character, up and down with moods, wanting to go on stage on the very verge of giving birth, staggering offstage, berated by some of the men in the village, caught in snow and going to her home after finding the depressed minister, Stig, drunk on the road but who has to help her with the birth because the midwife is stranded in the snow.

Much of the activity of the film is the gathering of the choir, the rehearsals for the Messiah concert, the decision to change the format of the church, removing the pews – the picture of the Lutheran Church in this film is a very authoritarian and dour church – decorations and the plan to hold a dance in the church. There also has to be a lot of action to keep Stig away from the alcohol.

Actually, the dance goes well and is reported with colour photos in the local magazine much to the ire of the authorities and the barring of the church door to visitors.

Lena has her drama with Arne, the kindly man who took her in when her parents were killed in an accident and her grandmother blamed her for their deaths, and with Axel, a widower who works on local jobs and is attracted to her. Lena also has to devote a lot of attention to her baby son, Jacob.

There is something of a dramatic crisis when crowds press into the church for another dance and they have to be removed for health and safety reasons, Tore, a benign but mentally handicapped man takes Jacob to save him but goes on a rowing boat on the lake with some dire results.

Obviously, the film has to have a happy ending, the recital of The Messiah but not after Lena has to come to her senses about blaming herself for deaths, love or Axel, and support for Stig.

At almost two and half hours, the screenplay is too prolonged for this lightness and treatment of the plot.

1. The popularity of the first film? Music, the choir? Village life? Characters?

2. The return to the village? The atmosphere of Sweden, in the winter? Heaven on earth? The homes, the church, the countryside?

3. The music, country and western, church music, Handel, dance music? The Messiah, practice, the parishioners singing, the variety of instruments, the climax?

4. Nina, pregnant, memories of Daniel, his death? Her playing with the band, enjoyment, the people, line dancing? Her water breaking? The abusive man, hitting her? Arne, getting the car started, Axel and his pushing? The midwife, the phone calls, her being stuck in snow, Lena going home? Finding Stig on the road, drunk? Arne knocked out, Stig having to participate and help with the birth?

5. Lena, her past story, Arne looking after her as a child, her parents in a car crash, the rescue, the grandmother blaming Lena for the deaths? Her growing up in the town? In the choir, Daniel? The birth of Jacob and her care for him? The concern for Stig, meeting Axel, resisting a relationship, changing, listening to his story, the accident and the death of his wife and child? Her friendship with Tore? With the other members of the parish?

6. The Handel concert? The decision? The rival choir? Her hold over Stig? Keeping him sober? The idea that the pews be removed, Transforming the church, decoration? The crowds, the dance, the Bishop and the clergy watching? The magazine with all the photos? Stig and his being dismissed?

7. The image of the Lutheran Church, the authorities, more than a touch puritanical? A severe spirituality?

8. Stig, with only two people in the church, his drinking, out in the snow, despair, helping with the birth, drinking with hidden bottles of alcohol? Wary about the situation, upset? Concerned about the authorities? Removing the pews? Yet the success of the dance – and then the barring of the church doors?

9. The choir practices, the range of characters, the Messiah, voices, instruments? Lena and her enthusiasm and improvisation?

10. Axel, his story, his hard work, the attraction to Lena, the sexual relationship? Memories of his own child? Lena upset at his leaving, telling him off, going to seek him again, his return, happiness?

11. The episode with the crowds and the church, too many, having to oust them? Tore and his concern about the baby? Taking it to the lake, and the boat, rocking the boat, his falling in to the water and drowning? Lena, the attempted rescue? Failing? Axel rescuing the baby?

12. Lena, withdrawn, Stig and his confrontation, that she was not to blame?

13. The final concert, exuberance, everybody happy?