As It Is In Heaven (Overbay, 2014) – Filmwell review
From Filmwell
As It Is In Heaven is a hushed film; a quiet film in the way of Gitai’s Kadosh or Reygadas’ Silent Light when these films are focused on the ritual lives of their respective communities. Such films remind us that we watch cinema simply because it can do something the other arts cannot. It allows us to see people doing things that puzzle us, and perhaps even grieve us, in real life. But it gives us the space to see these things in bite-sized pieces, broken down into component elements, activities, and rhythms.
This is significant for films about religion, as absurd rituals and beliefs start to feel more coherent through this exposure. Even if we don’t identify with what we are seeing and hearing, we leave a film understanding someone better.
