Page - 130 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 02/02

130 | Sofia Sjö www.jrfm.eu 2016, 2/2, 123–140 So what is it that turns Daniel into a Christ figure? Daniel’s Christ-like ap- pearance and his role as savior or messiah have been discussed in a number of publications.20 In line with the traditional savior storyline,21 Daniel comes to a community in need, suffers with them, transforms them through his beliefs and actions, is unjustly accused and finally dies, but not without leaving something of himself behind. Several scenes visually and thematically associate the story of Christ. In one central scene, Daniel steps into the river and lowers himself into the water. Previously Daniel did not dare to enter the water, so the scene illustrates a change. But the scene acquires a symbolic function when Daniel surfaces with outstretched arms, associating the idea of a baptism. It is worth pointing out that Daniel baptizes himself, which ties in with the theme of spiritu- ality with its focus on the self and distrust of organized religion. Right after his baptism, Daniel is attacked by Conny, who beats him bloody. The three central female characters are shown caring for the badly bruised Dan- iel and cleaning his bloody body with white linens. This scene brings to mind iconographic traditions of women with the dead Christ and the women at Christ’s grave. The connection to Christian art is particularly obvious via a long shot that captures all characters within the same frame and is further under- lined in the mise-en-scène that brings to mind scenes of classic Christian paint- ings with pietà motifs. Conny’s assault of Daniel is one of the reasons why Gabri- ella finally manages to break with her husband. Daniel’s readiness to repeatedly protect Gabriella with his body, despite the gruesome consequences, inspires her to believe in her self-worth and right to a better life. This is also Daniel’s central message: everyone has an individual voice and the right to this voice and when they come together, amazing things can happen. But this is a lesson Daniel also learns for himself through his work with the choir as he slowly opens up and dares to love and trust others. Thus Daniel is not a flawless savior. At the beginning, he appears to be un- comfortable around people, somewhat rude and impatient. However, over time, and in particular with Lena’s support, he becomes a much more open and caring person for whom every voice in the choir is essential. The way that emo- tions are shown to play a key part in his life – he expresses a range of emotions, from joy to anxiety – turns Daniel into a somewhat unusual male character. In contrast to Conny, who is also very emotional, but whose emotional outbursts consist of anger and jealousy, over time Daniel learns to show love and affec- tion. And in contrast to Stig, Daniel shows no interest in his standing and image in the community or any desire to return to his old life of fame. In the end, what matters are love, community and the right for everyone to be themselves. 20 Johansson 2005; Larsson 2005; Hedling 2006; Sjö 2013b. 21 See for example Malone 1997.