Page - 176 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 06/01

Struggling with self-doubt, Johannes begins a dialogue – actually a monologue – with God, whom he implores to answer his questions or show him a sign that will reassure him of God’s presence. In these scenes Johannes acts manically, angrily spitting out all his doubts and concerns, desperately seeking confirmation and with that confirmation, peace. The audience is thus prompted to rethink the origins of Jo- hannes’s faith: does it stem from religious conviction or is it perhaps the manifesta- tion of an inherited mental illness (Johannes’s father also was able to “hear” God)? Both of Johannes’s sons try to fulfil their father’s wishes and follow his path. Just as their father feels unheard by his heavenly father, the two sons feel unheard by their father. The consequences are serious: August follows his father’s recom- mendation that he does not talk about what happened abroad and does not seek medical help. He compensates for his guilty conscience with a pseudo-religious ac- tivism that leads to two haunting television moments that remind us of lyrics from the series’ main theme: “God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform”.1 We, the audience, witness how August’s intense prayers prevent the deportation of 1 The main theme music of Herrens Veje (Ride upon the Storm) was written and produced by Claus Hepler and Dragonborn, who adapted the words of the hymn “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” (1773). The hymn itself adapts the words of a poem by the English poet William Cowper, “Light Shining out of Darkness” (1773). For more information on Cowper see https://www.britannica.com/ biography/William-Cowper and https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-cowper [accessed 2 September 2019]. Fig. 2: Johannes (Lars Mikkelsen) is a charismatic pastor © Tine Harden  / Arte France. TV-Series Review: Herrens Veje | 175www.jrfm.eu 2020, 6/1, 172–179