Heaven's Heart (Himlens hjärta) is the story of two married couples who, over the course of a dinner party, discuss the meaning and morality of adultery, the institution of marriage, and the difference between love and sex. The seemingly harmless discussion generates emotional crises that cause each character to critically examine the state of their marriage. The discoveries made about themselves and their partners put their convictions to the test. Director, Simon Staho, artfully captures the intricacies of intimate relationships, the fragility of the human heart, and the agony of betrayal.
The first shot is a high-angle close-up of Lars, part of one of the two couples; the camera gradually shifts from soft to deep focus, as Lars opens his eyes, as if waking. Paralleling this shot is the next – his wife, Susanna, lifting her eyes from the ground to the lens. The characters seem solemn and aware, the reason becoming clear when we see the two, dressed in black, in a dimly lit courtroom, a declaration is made by an unseen official. There is a flashback to nine months prior, and we see the two, in stark contrast to the previous shot, in a warmer environment – their closet, brightly lit, both in white. She helps him dress as they prepare to greet their friends for dinner, and she leans into him to brush her nose against his as he states, "To a good evening." The evening, however, takes a decidedly not good turn. We quickly learn that Ann and Ulf, the friends that arrive, are unhappy with their sex life – a fact they don't hide from their friends; as the two women discuss Anna's non-existent libido (at one point, she asks her friend, "Doesn't all that intimacy make you sick?"), Lars and Ulf discuss the same topic with a twist – Ulf wonders if Lars has ever cheated and admits to having been tempted himself. He then states that he might have left Ann at the beginning of their marriage, had she told him she was infertile. Dinner conversation follows much the same pattern, when it is revealed that Lars' work colleague had left his wife for a nurse at their facility. Susanna defends him, proposing that perhaps he had found his true love, and Ulf agrees. Ann and Lars, as if on the same team, are seated at the same side of the table, and both become visibly distressed at this suggestion. Passion is not love, Lars argues, and marriage is a partnership that should be honored. Marriage, Susanna counters, is a "wall against solitude" and exclaims, "Why do people trash adulterers? At least they do something." The conversation between Lars and Susanna after dinner shows less candor and more vulnerability; she asks him if he ever feels as though something is missing from his life; he asks her the same question, and she displays a much more vulnerable and honest character, clearly sad and perplexed – you can't help but sympathize with them both.
The well-crafted dialogue between Susanna and Lars makes it evident that Susanna is experiencing something of a midlife crisis. She ponders the wisdom in having had a child and fixates on her exploits with past lovers; the viewer can't help but wonder if she's tempted to stray or has, in fact done so. However, she appears hesitant to share these thoughts and guilty for feeling them. One moment she's too glib and thoughtless and the next she seems repentant. The viewer is pushed to identify with Lars, but I can't help feeling some attachment, however tenuous, to Susanna; she's very changeable, very human, and, I think, fearful of losing her husband, which is why she often treats him with such disregard; it is her attempt to prevent herself from feeling too much pain, should he stray. In the same vein, Ulf considers the possibility of infidelity – divulging his secret urges with Lars; this leads me to believe he has no real intention of cheating, because if he did, he wouldn't share that information with anyone. He desperately wants children and a deeper connection with the woman he married; Ann seems to lack tenderness or warmth. While Susanna and Ulf openly evaluate their somewhat unsatisfactory relationships, the subdued and polite Lars and Ann, defenders of marriage and stability, become increasingly fearful their partners will cheat.
When betrayals are brought to light and each character reveals their true thoughts and feelings, a poignant and painful depiction of human fragility is rendered. The film begs the question, What is love? What is marriage? What is security? The acting in Heaven's Heart is superb; the emotion is authentic and sometimes visceral. Aesthetically bare and largely without background sound, the film leaves the actors responsible for filling the empty spaces with the forcefulness of dialogue and expression. It's a depressing film, in typical Nordic fashion, but I would recommend watching, if you're looking for a thought-provoking drama.
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