“Internationally famous conductor Daniel
Dareus (Michael Nyquist) goes from being a big fish in a big pond to
being a big fish in a small pond when he returns to his childhood village
in search of peace and rest. But he stirs up painful memories and jealousies,
when he takes on the role of choir master in the tiny community. The
choir is a platform for bringing characters together but also for revealing
the chasms within the village and within relationships. The rural setting
underlines the isolation of the village, focusing the drama to its very
core elements: the nature - and the danger - of community. The danger
ranges from domestic violence to intolerance of all kinds, often seething
under the surface of genteel neighbourliness. But the screenplay digs
somewhat deeper still when the pastor's wife Inger (Ingela Olsson) confronts
her husband (Niklas Falk) with her buried secret of 20 years: she doesn't
believe there is sin ... it's an invention of the church, so it can
offer absolution. The confrontation is triggered by the sweeping changes
that Daniel's passion for music has brought to the community. And feelings
about religion are not the only kind she has repressed ... The ructions
make for gripping drama on a human scale, something Swedish cinema has
always excelled at. The title brackets the basic human need for happiness
and its spiritual equivalent, themes with which the film deals in subtle
but powerful ways. Director Kay Pollak, who co-wrote the screenplay,
handles the material with the maturity equal to his years (66 when he
made the film in 2004), balancing humour and drama with a deft touch,
and weaving in the healing of romance through Daniel falling in love
with the vibrant and sensitive Lena (Frida Hallgren). Some may find
the melodramatic ending is unsuited to the film's tone, but might well
forgive that one negative, given the many pluses.” — Andrew
Urban, Urban Cinefile
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