Terrence Malick’s new film borrows its title from a quote of George Eliot on the last page of Middlemarch: “The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.” The “unhistoric act” referred to in the film is Franz Jägerstätter’s refusal to swear an oath to Hitler and fight for the Nazis during World War II. It’s an thought-provoking story that asks tough questions about faith and religion. A timely story as extreme nationalism rises. It is also his most touching and moving one since Tree of Life (2011).
He had done at least one other WWII-related feature beforehand – 1998’s The Thin Red Line which marked his return to filmmaking after a twenty-year break. Where that film put people right in the middle of the Battle of Guadalcanal, depicting it as part of another kind of war movie altogether, this one takes place far away from any battlefield. In addition to footage where we see Hitler leading Nazi rallies, parades or marches, what we get through this movie’s early scenes is idyllic life within Austria’s St. Radegund.
It was 1939 when Franz lives with Fani, his wife and their daughters on subsistence farming along these beautiful Swiss Alps – something depicted by Malick through pictures showing rolling hills, babbling brooks or endless fields of wheat. His trademark shots were sometimes reminiscent of Days of Heaven (1978) his second work but unlike To The Wonder (2012), Knight Of Cups (2015) or Song To Song (2017), he never slides into clichés or self-parody; there are amazing tracking shots throughout showing how nature blends with each member of the Jägerstätter family, and discovering joy in the quietness around them.
However, those ominous storm clouds – both real and metaphorical – are on their way, and when WWII eventually comes, their calm life is upended. He went to a military camp for training but he had no faith in what Nazis were fighting for. This time around he employs voiceover which has always been his signature style in addition to which we get letters exchanged between them whereby Franz asks: “Oh my wife, what has happened to our country?”
It is also at this point that Franz makes his fateful decision regarding both of their lives as he refuses to go into battle for his conscience. The rest of the film deals with Franz’s miserable life behind bars where he is isolated lonely abused and left with nothing but a mad mind. These scenes are juxtaposed against Fani’s own horrors as paranoia takes over their small town and she becomes ostracized by her own people in St Radegund. Friends and family members implore him to change his mind saying that he will not make anyone any better by so doing; they urge him: “think one thing and say another.” All that remains for Franz now that religion has let him down is his own faith.
But we can only relate to Fani’s motive of staying with her husband when his principles run so deep into their love; we find it impossible to understand Franz in the same way. We see that he is hardened and stubborn, but as the story progresses, his words decrease drastically. The character must speak to us; talk to his wife at the moment of their last farewell and let us know more about his self-belief. However, nothing; this makes the last scenes quite frustrating.
August Diehl’s performances as Franz – who played an officer on the other side of the conflict in Inglourious Basterds – are impressive for their economy of words: from being loving and intimate in earlier scenes through playfully courting death until such a time that things take an even worse turn. Valerie Pachner’s heart-wrenching role as Fani should be mentioned here too: she suffers unimaginable hardship yet does not prevent him from coming back home but never urges him to change his mind or lose resolve. Moreover, Bruno Ganz and Michael Nyqvist whose deaths were registered at different times after completion of A Hidden Life (2016) principal photography gives strong support while Matthias Schoenaerts’ cameo is short but critical.
Every single outdoor frame is done artistically with Jorg Widmer being employed by Malick as a cinematographer for the first time ever. The effect brought about by natural light contributes substantially towards making A Hidden Life one of those movies that are hard to forget due to its beauty beyond expectations. Also worth mentioning is James Newton Howard’s score which features magnificent choral pieces that frequently assault senses visually.
CONCLUSION
A Hidden Life marks Terrence Malick’s return to form. His most recent films have often been disjointed affairs, sometimes rushed or underdeveloped. Consequently, he has switched back into telling stories traditionally which have made it much sharper film and far better viewing experience. The length of the movie is 173 minutes, but it never feels indulgent or outstayed its welcome – Jägerstätter’s story cried out for an epic run-time. And though it is disappointing that we cannot truly enter into his thoughts, perhaps it has a purpose: A Hidden Life invites audiences to meditate on Franz’s “unhistoric act” and understand how similar situations can be found even today.
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