Så ock på jorden

With Kay Pollak's last film, "As it is in heaven" (Så som i himmelen), it seemed that there were two camps and two camps only - people either loved it or hated it, with nothing in between. The same thing seems true of this sequel, among both critics and general audiences. For my own part, I belong to the camp that loved it!

Both Frida Hallgren and Niklas Falk give absolutely masterful character portrayals, and they both deserve major acting awards as far as I'm concerned. I found the story gripping and deeply moving, and shed my first tears (far from the last) at a very early stage. Lena's struggles with a repressive village environment and her own self-esteem, and Stig's struggles with an old-fashioned church leadership stuck in its old ways as well as his own inner demons and failed marriage, provide a perfect mirror of easily recognizable struggles in just about anyone's daily life. The issues of loss and tragedy are also very easy to identify with on a personal level.

For me, the film evoked both laughter and tears, and left me with a feeling of hope and joy. I disagree completely with those critics, both professional and amateur, who feel that Kay Pollak has failed to make a sequel as masterful as its predecessor - I absolutely loved both films, found both the acting and the direction superb, and it has stayed with me since seeing it for the first time (yes, I will see it again) a couple of weeks ago.