A Hidden Life (2019)
Terrence Malick is definitely one interesting filmmaker, where he has made some true classics in the past like his 2011 outing with The Tree of Life, he is overall seen as a filmmaker that holds a unique artistic style to higher importance than a strong narrative or plot. Since The Tree of Life more and more have become frustrated with his work because of this so when the word around A Hidden Life coming out of its debut at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival was that this was finally another film by Malick with a solid plot that people seemed to be getting behind the overall reaction was excitement. I know I was hopeful going into this movie but sadly what I got was far from the quality of The Tree of Life. A Hidden Life follows an Austrian farmer named Franz Jägerstätter. He lives in the beautiful countryside with his wife Franziska when he is drafted to fight for the Nazi Party and is forced to salute to Hitler which he refuses to do. He doesn't support Hitler or the Nazi Party and refuses to betray his moral character so refusing to follow his instructions they imprison him and threaten him with charges that could lead to his execution. Franz has to decide if he is willing to die for his beliefs and leave his family behind.
Like I said sadly this movie really didn't impress me and the main issue I had with it (as you would expect with a movie from this writer/director) is the plot. First getting the elephant in the room out of the way there is no reason why this film needs a 3-hour runtime. We get so many scenes with the same exact goals time and time again, from beautiful shots of the countryside to showing the horrors he is enduring. This movie just repeats itself time and time again without ever exploring the subject at a higher level or from a different perspective. This same film easily could have taken place over the course of a 2-hour film and that still would have given more than enough time for some of the longer more unneeded stylistic scenes. I also think the actual character of Franz doesn't quite work. We are clearly supposed to look at him with a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for standing against the evil of the Nazi party but all we see continually is how much pain this causes. The film repeats time and time again how this will do nothing for his cause and he will just end up dead with his wife being forced to raise their children alone with an entire community against her for her husband's actions and the film never gives a good rebuttal to this. No one is going to hear about his rebellion and all it does is cause pain for others he loves. It also just is an iffy message all around, clearly, this film has relevance when it comes to the current political climate we are in but the message it gives fails to be productive or helpful. According to this movie, everyone who was against the Nazi party should have just resigned to death as the Nazis condemned, yet if that was to happen it would also mean the death of any actual rebellion. Just like the Nazis want by making the consequence for this death this would kill other forms of ideals and values. When you look at the character of Franz in the context of the situation and what he is trying to do sure he is obviously much better than a Nazi but he does come off as a bit selfish and small-minded. The only thing that is a bit redeemable about this that makes me less disappointed in the script is that this is based on a true story but still, as you are watching it these bigger questions do come into question and hurt the overall effectiveness of the film.
Where the actual plot was definitely lacking for me, the actual technical aspects of this film is of course incredible. The cinematography from Jörg Widmer is not only stunningly gorgeous with the wide breathtaking landscape but the close-ups were so unique and effective. I can't recall I have ever seen a movie use the angles and perspectives in this film. By using a handheld approach this movie takes you right into these settings and locations, the actual production design is also really impressive. I also will say this movie very smartly uses nature as a visual trope, from the vast seas of field and forest from the farm that Franz lives on to the small weeds growing in the prison courtyard, whenever there is nature on-screen specifically with the color green the movie does put a nice focus on it as a visual element and I would not be shocked if after a few viewings someone put together an essay on how the movie uses this as a form of storytelling. The score from James Newton Howard is also grand and equally as impressive. Especially when the film has such a lingering attitude when it comes to the editing and telling of this story these elements are given a great platform to stand out as you need to focus on something when the story is just going in circles. I also will say where the characters definitely failed to impress me the acting behind them is overall good. The suffering that August Diehl is able to show not just from the actual torture he faces in prison and such but also from just being alive at this time and being forced to make this choice. The pain shown from Valerie Pachner was also really impressive as it is much more subdued. She fully supports her husband and doesn't want anyone to see her as someone who is suffering. Due to the layers she shows in her performance I have to say she was my favorite actor in the film but overall the performances were strong despite the weaker material.
At the end of the day, A Hidden Life is not a bad film. It is easily one of the most beautiful looking films of the year and it does shed light on an important topic that is not normally talked about. It does a great job showing the horrors of this time and has a message that is all too relevant in modern times. Yet still, the deeper you think about the message in the film the more unhelpful you find it. It also is just way too long, like I mentioned there is no reason why this movie is 3 hours long. Less than 2 hours into the movie you understand what it is trying to do and it never finds a new perspective or thesis that makes the longer time needed. Honestly, the best deciding factor on if you will like this movie is your history with Terrence Malick. If his wandering and lingering style of filmmaking has bothered you in the past it's going to bother you here. Sure it has a stronger story but in the end, this movie absolutely feels like a Terrence Malick film for better or for worse.
At the end of the day, A Hidden Life is not a bad film. It is easily one of the most beautiful looking films of the year and it does shed light on an important topic that is not normally talked about. It does a great job showing the horrors of this time and has a message that is all too relevant in modern times. Yet still, the deeper you think about the message in the film the more unhelpful you find it. It also is just way too long, like I mentioned there is no reason why this movie is 3 hours long. Less than 2 hours into the movie you understand what it is trying to do and it never finds a new perspective or thesis that makes the longer time needed. Honestly, the best deciding factor on if you will like this movie is your history with Terrence Malick. If his wandering and lingering style of filmmaking has bothered you in the past it's going to bother you here. Sure it has a stronger story but in the end, this movie absolutely feels like a Terrence Malick film for better or for worse.