Heaven's subject is simply that. Diane Keaton interviews a terrific assortment of people on the topic of what they believe heaven is like. Alone or in pairs, she asks her subjects a variety of questions about what they expect to find in the afterlife. The interviews are then edited together to show us how different people responded to the same questions. Keaton sets the mood by introducing her collage technique. Topical clips from black-and-white films, painted title cards, and interviews with her subjects are all interwoven to create a playful and interesting discussion of heaven. The title cards set up themes (Is there Sex in Heaven?), then the next several clips will show people addressing that very question. Keaton herself does not appear in the film. The subjects sit in beautiful, slightly surreal sets, directing their responses off-camera. What really made this film stand out for me, though, is its delightful attitude. By staying off-camera, Keaton removes herself as the questioner and puts me in her place, so I can't help but begin to feel her genuine curiosity in asking questions about heaven. Personal religious beliefs become secondary to a joy I take in hearing what the concept of heaven means to these various people. And I grow to really LIKE these people. The first thing I learn about them is this deeply personal notion of what they think will happen to them after they die. I was totally fascinated, and I bought the movie, and I recommend it to everyone. It's hilarious, sometimes sad, occasionally creepy, and completely interesting. I felt cheated that I had never heard about it until twelve years after it was made. I could have been enjoying it for so much longer.
