Faith, Fear, Humor, No Safety Net

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MOVIE REVIEWS
Heaven
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Genre: Documentary
Year Released: 1987, Lightyear Entertainment Blu-ray restoration 2026
Runtime: 1h 20m
Director(s): Diane Keaton
Where to Watch: available on Blu-ray, digital platforms, and VOD February 17, 2026. Pre-order your copy here: www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: What do people actually mean when they say they believe in heaven, and why does the answer matter so much to them? HEAVEN doesn’t promote or disprove belief; nor does it advocate for curiosity as a virtue. It merely provides a space and then backs away. This is what makes Diane Keaton's directorial debut feel so revolutionary, even to this day. HEAVEN has been around since 1987 and was recently restored. The film plays less like a product of its time and more like one that arrived ahead of its time, waiting for its audience to catch up.

The premise is simple. Keaton interviews a wide variety of people concerning what they believe occurs after death. Keaton asks direct, almost innocent questions. What does heaven look like? How do you get to heaven? What does god look like? While the film isn’t innovative in posing these questions, it’s powerful because of the serious manner in which they are asked and the serious treatment given to the responses, regardless of whether they are unusual, humorous, or disturbing.

Keaton never appears on camera. The decision not to is so important. Keaton removes herself, thus refusing to make the film appear to be a personal essay or a performative inquiry. The viewer is instead made the surrogate interrogator. You aren’t viewing Diane Keaton's response. You are responding with her. The removal of her commentary also encourages viewers to engage with the material rather than being guided through the film. This is one of the most vital structural choices Keaton made when creating the film.

In terms of its form, HEAVEN is presented as a collage. The interviews are conducted in carefully designed, frequently surreal settings. The talking heads are intercut with clips from classic films, religious images, stock footage, and pop-cultural visuals. At first glance, this may seem chaotic. However, the collage style is extremely well controlled. The juxtapositions are playful; they never cross the line into frivolous. An honest confession could be followed by an abstract representation of a cinematic image, not to mock it, but to expand upon the emotional implications of both.

The editing in the film does tremendous philosophical heavy lifting. Organizing the responses thematically (rather than by individual respondent), Keaton highlights the shared concerns and contradictions among respondents. People may have extreme disagreements about the rules, rewards, and appearance of heaven; however, many of the emotions that drive them to seek answers are surprisingly similar. Comfort. Justice. Reunion. Peace. The film implies, quietly, that while different belief systems may exist, the human impulses that drive them are similar.

What is equally impressive is how the documentary handles extremity. Some respondents express ideas that approach absurdity and/or fear. HEAVEN doesn’t reduce its responses to caricatures. Keaton doesn’t use irony to emphasize their absurdity, nor does she invite the viewer to laugh at them. Humor emerges from the collision of sincerity and imagination, not from mockery. Such an ethically based approach is relatively uncommon, especially in documentaries focused on religion.

The film's soundtrack and score provide significant support to the documentary. The film's heartbeat is established by Howard Shore's gentle, exploratory music rather than emotional manipulation. The curated songs, ranging from pop to experimental, reflect the film's open tone. Nothing is utilized to guide you to a conclusion. Everything is utilized to continue the dialogue.

Upon viewing HEAVEN today, especially in its restored version, it’s interesting to see how contemporary the film feels. The film is an example of a documentary approach that focuses on curiosity rather than confrontation and atmosphere rather than argument. The film also precedes the current culture of algorithm-based certainty, in which beliefs are often asserted rather than explored. HEAVEN seems almost subversive in its unwillingness to declare a winner.

The film recognizes that discussions regarding the afterlife are rarely concerned solely with theology. Discussions regarding the afterlife are typically concerned with fear of loss, desire for meaning, and the difficulty of living with uncertainty. Keaton allows moments of sadness, humor, hope, and discomfort to coexist without establishing a hierarchy among them. No response is considered definitive. No doubt is viewed as failure.

Diane Keaton never produced another documentary. Thus, HEAVEN appears to be even more unique. HEAVEN isn’t a stepping stone or a prototype. It’s a complete realization of the idea that happens to be tranquil, rather than garish. The film doesn’t claim that heaven exists. The film doesn’t deny that heaven exists. The film only recognizes how deeply human the question is. When viewed today, HEAVEN appears to be a rare artifact of intellectual humility—curious, without condescension. Playful, without being cruel. Earnest, without feeling embarrassed. Achieving such a balance is exceptionally challenging. Keaton accomplishes it with confidence and poise.

The restoration of the film doesn’t simply preserve the film. It reframes it as what it has always been. A thoughtful, benevolent work that views belief as a reflection of the hopes and fears of individuals. Only a few documentaries trust their subjects and their audience to such an extent, and even fewer are as alive today as they were decades ago.

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[photo courtesy of LIGHTYEAR ENTERTAINMENT]

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