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The true story of Franz Jägerstätter,
an Austrian farmer from the small village of Ragegund.
When Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, Jägerstätter
reported for military duty but refused to swear the
required oath to Adolf Hitler or to fight in what he
considered an unjust war. He was imprisoned, sentenced
to death and executed in the summer of 1943; his
sentence was nullified by a Berlin court in 1997, and he
was declared a martyr and beatified by the Roman
Catholic Church in 2007. |
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David Ehrlich, IndieWire:
"A Hidden Life is a lucid and profoundly defiant
portrait of faith in crisis. It’s an intimate epic about
the immense strength required for resistance, and the
courage that it takes for one to hold fast to their
virtue during a crisis of faith, and in a world that may
never reward them for it... Despite its repetitive and
foraging nature, A Hidden Life flies by, as the
film is helped along by gorgeous scenery, a beautiful
score, and a handful of supporting performances from
actors like Matthias Schoenaerts and Franz Rogowski. The
late Bruno Ganz and Michael Nyqvist respectively make
their final appearances as a Nazi judge and an
anguished, sympathizing member of the Church."
Paul Heath, The Hollywood News:
"There are also fleeting appearances from the likes of
Matthias Schoenaerts and Jürgen Prochnow, as well as the
final on-screen appearances from two of Europe finest
actors of their generation, Bruno Ganz and Michael
Nyqvist. It is, however, Diehl and Pachner who are most
deserved of praise as they really carry the movie in two
demanding roles."
Peter Debruge, Variety:
"There are no battlefields in Terrence Malick’s A
Hidden Life — only fields of wheat — no
concentration-camp horrors, no dramatic midnight raids.
But make no mistake: This is a war movie; it’s just that
the fight that’s raging here is an internal one, between
a Christian and his conscience. A refulgent return to
form from one of cinema’s vital auteurs, A Hidden
Life pits the righteous against the Reich, and puts
personal integrity over National Socialism, focusing on
the true story of Austrian farmer Franz Jägerstätter’s
rejection of Adolf Hitler and his refusal to serve in
what he sees as an unjust war... Appealing to the bishop
(Michael Nyqvist, the first of several major Euro stars
glimpsed only for a couple minutes), Franz argues, 'If
God gives us free will, we are responsible for what we
do' — and just as importantly, 'what we don’t do.'" |
