As in Heaven

In late 1800s rural Denmark, superstition, religion and duty weigh heavily on bright, spirited Lise. The eldest of seven children, the 14-year-old is on the cusp of escaping the confines of farm and family to take up a place at school, when events take a sudden and fateful turn. Writer-director Lindeburg’s visceral debut is bold in its stylistic flourishes, yet anti-spectacular in its realism. The film’s composition and sparseness are reminiscent of directors Carl Theodor Dreyer’s and Roberto Rossellini’s iconic historical works, but rather than venerating faith and mystery, Lindeburg crafts a blistering critique of the insidious misogyny and control it so often masks. Flora Ofelia Hofmann Lindahl’s performance as Lise is note-perfect. As is Marcel Zyskind’s exquisite camerawork – one moment dancing to childish harmonies, the next prowling the harrowing spaces of Lise’s home.

Sarah Lutton