Movie's ratings

    Soundtrack

    A Hidden Life (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

    Different stars

    • 1 James Newton Howard, James Ehnes & Andrew ArmstrongA Hidden Life 2:51
    • 2 Simon Preston, Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford & English Chamber OrchestraIsrael in Egypt, HWV 54, Part I, No. 15 "Double Chorus: And Israel Saw That Great Work" & 16 "Chorus: And Believed the Lord" 4:26
    • 3 James Newton Howard, James Ehnes & Andrew ArmstrongSurrounded by Walls 2:54
    • 4 James Newton Howard, James Ehnes & Andrew ArmstrongReturn 2:42
    • 5 James Newton HowardIndoctrination 2:13
    • 6 James Newton Howard & James EhnesMorality in Darkness 3:14
    • 7 James Newton Howard, James Ehnes & Andrew ArmstrongLove and Suffering 7:45
    • 8 Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Jan Söderblom, Tero Latvala, Tapiola Sinfonietta & Jouko LaivuoriTabula rasa: II. Silentium 15:49
    • 9 James Newton Howard, James Ehnes & Andrew ArmstrongHope 2:30
    • 10 James Newton Howard, James Ehnes & Andrew ArmstrongDescent 6:27
    • 11 Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra & Antoni WitCzech Suite in D Major, Op. 39: I. Allegro moderato 3:55
    • 12 I FiamminghiKleines Requiem für eine Polka, Op. 66: IV. Adagio Cantabile 6:26
    • 13 James Newton Howard, James Ehnes & Andrew ArmstrongKnotted 3:40
    • 14 James Newton Howard, James Ehnes & Andrew ArmstrongThere Will Be No Mysteries 4:43

    12

    " Based on True Events"
    Country
    Spoken Language
    Runtime 2 hr 54 min
    Premiere: World $4 645 140 November 15, 2019
    USA $1 730 597
    Other countries $2 914 543
    Premiere: USA $1 730 597 November 17, 2019
    first day $16 047
    first weekend $50 383
    theaters 151
    rollout 385 days
    Digital: World March 3, 2020
    Parental Advisory Frightening & Intense Scenes, Violence & Gore
    • Frightening & Intense Scenes

      average

    • Violence & Gore

      average

    • Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking

      few

    Production Companies Orange StudioStudio BabelsbergTSG Entertainment...Fox Searchlight PicturesElizabeth Bay ProductionsMister Smith EntertainmentAceway ProductionsAlto Adige Productions
    Also Known As
    Una vida oculta United States

    Description

    The Austrian Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector, refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War II.

    Сast and Crew

    The True Story Behind "A Hidden Life" (2019)

    Overview

    The film "A Hidden Life" is based on the real-life story of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer who became a conscientious objector during World War II. His story is one of moral courage and unwavering faith in the face of immense pressure and adversity.

    Franz Jägerstätter's Life

    Franz Jägerstätter was born in 1907 in the small village of St. Radegund, Austria. He was a devout Catholic and lived a simple life as a farmer. In 1936, he married Franziska Schwaninger, and they had three daughters together.

    Conscientious Objection

    When Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, Franz Jägerstätter was one of the few Austrians who openly opposed the regime. He refused to take the oath of allegiance to Adolf Hitler and was vocal about his opposition to the war. In 1943, he was called up for military service but refused to fight for the Nazis, citing his religious beliefs and moral convictions.

    Imprisonment and Execution

    As a result of his refusal to serve, Franz Jägerstätter was arrested and imprisoned. Despite numerous attempts by his family, friends, and clergy to persuade him to change his mind, he remained steadfast in his decision. On August 9, 1943, he was executed by guillotine in Berlin-Brandenburg.

    Legacy

    In 2007, Franz Jägerstätter was beatified by the Catholic Church, recognizing him as a martyr for his faith and moral integrity. His story has since become a symbol of resistance against tyranny and the power of individual conscience.

    Film's Accuracy

    The film "A Hidden Life," directed by Terrence Malick, is largely faithful to the true story of Franz Jägerstätter. It captures the essence of his moral struggle and the impact of his decisions on his family and community. The film portrays the emotional and spiritual journey of Franz Jägerstätter with sensitivity and depth, staying true to the historical events and the spirit of his sacrifice.

    Production

    On June 23, 2016, reports emerged that the film, then titled Radegund, would depict the life of Austria’s Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector during World War II who was put to death at age 36 for undermining military actions, and was later declared a martyr and beatified by the Catholic Church. It was announced that August Diehl was set to play Jägerstätter and Valerie Pachner to play his wife, Franziska Jägerstätter. Jörg Widmer was appointed as the director of photography, having worked in all of Malick's films since The New World (2005) as a camera operator.

    Related Movies There are no related titles yet, but you can add them:

    Terrence Malick — Top Rated Movies

    Critique: 44

    82%
    36 8

    A Hidden Life is a work of genius, at last a justification of Malick’s late style.

    New York Times December 12, 2019

    [An] earnest, gorgeous, at times frustrating film.

    Boston Globe December 18, 2019

    The film is overlong but worthy, with Malick’s by-now-standard cinematic tics – couples frolicking idyllically in meadows, murmured pens...

    Empire Magazine January 13, 2020

    If you don’t like Malick’s movies, A Hidden Life won’t convert you. But this is the filmmaker on sublime form, putting his artist...

    National Catholic Register December 11, 2019

    An ecstatic, anguished three-hour cinematic hymn … I am awed by parts of The New World, The Tree of Life and To The Wonder; A Hidden Life...

    New Yorker December 9, 2019

    When a giant stumbles, the thud is colossal.

    Entertainment Weekly December 12, 2019

    A Hidden Life is another Terrence Malick nature poem, transforming a true tale of conscientious objection into a ravishing portrait of goodness in...

    theplaylist.net May 19, 2019

    At last, the return to form that Malick’s loyal acolytes have spent most of this decade awaiting with an unshakable faith befitting the matte...

    Toronto Star September 11, 2019

    Malick falls prey yet again to the voice-over whispering and dreamy cloud-watching he relies on too much.

    The Australian February 1, 2020

    There is no doubt that A Hidden Life is a labour of love for Malick, but it will prove a challenge for audiences willing to experience th...

    NPR December 12, 2019

    As usual, Malick’s style of storytelling is roundabout and allusive, but this time it seldom stalls.

    Globe and Mail December 17, 2019

    There is familiarity here, but sincerity too. This is all part of Malick’s cinematic forever quest for truth and beauty amidst a world t...

    The Age (Australia) January 29, 2020

    The drama lacks inner tension. Rather than wrestling with himself, as other Malick heroes do, Franz remains a noble waxwork helplessly true to...

    Variety May 20, 2019

    Malick draws a critical distinction between faith and religion, calling out the failing of the latter - a human institution that’s...

    Rolling Stone December 11, 2019

    Malick’s return to form with the true story of a WW2 pacifist still seems like a miss as his focus drifts off into gorgeous shots of mou...

    Little White Lies January 16, 2020

    An exquisitely emotional and thorough account of an individual resisting state fascism.

    Wall Street Journal December 13, 2019

    With A Hidden Life and the story of Franz Jägerstätter, the director has found the ideal vehicle for his cosmic inquiries, and has created&nbs...

    houstonchronicle.com December 19, 2019

    It quietly demands viewers wind down to become in sync with Jägerstätter’s rural life, a world of planting and harvesting, back-breaking labo...

    indieWire May 21, 2019

    This show of faith hasn’t come a moment too soon.

    Polygon May 21, 2019

    The film is almost a tone poem, focusing on conveying Franz and Fani’s emotions as they experience an event that barely registered durin...

    film.avclub.com May 20, 2019

    We’re meant, I think, to see A Hidden Life as a story of a man fighting to stay true to his beliefs, but Malick never successfully sugge...

    Associated Press December 16, 2019

    Malick’s movie is deeply open-hearted, metaphysical and ruminative. But it might have benefited from being brought down to Earth.

    The Atlantic December 14, 2019

    It’s a decision Malick memorializes beautifully, in a film that is his most affecting effort in almost a decade.

    News.com.au February 28, 2020

    A Hidden Life is definitely on the long side, and there will be people whose patience may be exhausted, but if you give yourself over to it, it&rsq...

    Detroit News December 19, 2019

    It’s an environmental daydream and a human nightmare rolled into one, Mother Nature vs. human nature, and Malick delivers it with purpose.

    Los Angeles Times May 20, 2019

    It’s at once a linear, almost classically structured drama and an exploratory, intensely romantic work of art.

    The Guardian January 20, 2020

    Malick links the lonely labour of working the land with the thanklessness of sainthood, asking questions about devotion, tradition and individual a...

    Financial Times May 21, 2019

    The lasting message is that faith, familial love and nature’s capacity for renewal outlast even the darkest times – and it comes through...

    It is the best thing he’s done in a long time, and it is very very Terrence Malick, for all the good and bad that that means.

    The Guardian May 20, 2019

    Malick does succeed, to some degree, on his own terms; he attempts to give some (stylised) sense of this man’s inner life: his emotional and...

    Vulture December 13, 2019

    We shouldn’t be so smug as to assume that we would always know the right thing to do, or even be brave enough to do it, Malick seems to say...

    TIME Magazine May 20, 2019

    [It] may be visually beautiful, in a mountains-in-the-mist way. But what is it saying? What is it doing? And oh, dear God, is he showing us th...

    Pajiba March 28, 2020

    Watching A Hidden Life feels like both going to church and performing penance, like Terrence Malick wants us to submit to the same ideological...

    Chicago Sun-Times December 24, 2019

    You admire this man and his devotion. You’re enraged by this man because nobody in the world will know or care about his sacrifice…

    Slant Magazine May 21, 2019

    Terrence Malick’s film means to seek out souls caught in the tide of history, but which move against its current.

    Vox May 21, 2019

    A Hidden Life is everything [Terrence] Malick’s devotees could want from a movie: beautiful, poetic, hewing closely to films like Days o...

    Times (UK) May 21, 2019

    The ending has real power, too, but much of the rest of the film is just plain dull – gorgeous to look at, but dull.

    Little White Lies May 20, 2019

    Malick’s message is clear: vanquishing evil requires individuals to take a stand, to recognise what is right and what is wrong.

    Austin Chronicle December 19, 2019

    [August] Diehl’s performance is a model of restraint; he more often imparts information by a look, a glance, the slump of his shoulders...

    RogerEbert.com December 14, 2019

    One of [Malick’s] finest films, and one of his most demanding.

    Vanity Fair December 19, 2019

    It’s about faith, pure and simple – though, in the end, A Hidden Life is anything but.

    Daily Telegraph May 20, 2019

    Jägerstätter’s story is almost brutally simple in outline, but Malick’s patient method wants to delve, little by little, into his soul.

    Christian Science Monitor December 31, 2019

    Despite its faults, the film does indeed succeed in being a species of religious experience. It has a powerful sense of the immanence of life.

    Financial Times January 15, 2020

    Eyes may instinctively roll at Malick’s fixation with magical dawn and dusk light – confronted by real darkness, the result is his best...

    Add critique link

    Add a short review

    280 characters

    Or write an article...

    Sign up and you will see here
    friends impressions of the movie.

    Friends comments and ratings

    Watched

    A great movie. It is difficult to say briefly about this film, but the film is more philosophical than historical. A man’s struggle against a system that has left an indelible SCAR on all of humanity. We will remember these people too.

    Translated to English

    Watched

    I usually love slow and poetic films like this, but here Malick simply didn’t impress with a story of calm resistance to war. It feels like a movie book, but on the other hand, there are incredibly beautiful views and wonderful music. There is no catchy foundation for the plot, zero content.

    Translated to English

    Watched

    Signature Malikov’s formless narration: beautiful, damn stretched out and … a minimum of empathy. 7.5 out of 10

    Translated to English

    Watched

    A sad movie with soulful music, excellent acting and beautiful scenery. My eyes were wet while watching it. If it weren’t for the horse timing, I think the rating would have been higher. The movie is frankly drawn out, but this is Malick after all.

    Translated to English

    Watched

    Malik’s paintings are a special view of the world, their own narrative language. Memorable visual. "The Secret Life" is a film about unwavering views, perseverance and devotion. That moment when 3 hours is like 3 minutes thanks to the mountain landscapes, the life of the villagers and the sincerity of the main characters.

    Translated to English

    Watched

    Its poetry, empathy, touching philosophical narrative and music written by James Howard cut straight to the heart. When a film evokes such powerful catharsis that you can barely restrain yourself from crying, there is no point in writing anything else.

    Translated to English

    Watched

    A typical handsome and at the same time prolonged and meditative Malik. The path of a prisoner of conscience, or rather the executed conscience.

    Translated to English

    Purely from the point of view of history, this man chose consciously. It so happened that he had the opportunity to make a conscious choice, he had a court, he had a lawyer. In Germany, this was not always very strong and not for all political people.

    Translated to English

    Watched

    Amazing cinematography, amazing views. A little boring and the film requires a special approach to viewing. Highly recommend

    Translated to English

    Watched

    Malick finally found a worthy plot for his original film language. A masterpiece has been released.

    Translated to English

    Watched

    Movies Terrence Malick – poetry. They are always very recognizable, filled with voice-over monologues. This one is no exception. A reflection on a real person who decided to resist a system that conquered entire nations. Good work by cameraman Jörg Widmer ‍ and actor August Diehl ‍.

    Translated to English

    Watched

    It’s a cinematic journey through misty mountains, luscious alpine greenery, and Austrian villages that, unfortunately, have been subjected to pishist evil. This is almost a fantasy confrontation of a small man against a ruthless repressive machine, which leads him to the scaffold.

    Translated to English