A Hidden Life (2019) Fox Searchlight/Drama RT: 174 minutes Rated PG-13 (thematic material including violent images) Director: Terrence Malick Screenplay: Terrence Malick Music: James Newton Howard Cinematography: Jorg Widmer Release date: December 20, 2019 (Philadelphia, PA) Cast: August Diehl, Valerie Pachner, Michael Nyqvist, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jurgen Prochnow, Bruno Ganz, Alexander Fehling, Ulrich Matthes, Martin Wuttke, Maria Simon, Karen Neuhauser, Franz Rogowski, Tobias Moretti. Box Office: $4.6M (US)
Rating: **
I want to start by setting the record straight. I get what A Hidden Life is about, really about. I get what Terrence Malick is going for which is the same thing he’s always gone for in his films. For him, it’s less about the storyline than the weighty philosophical matters associated with the story. Plot is a delivery system for the big questions he’s asking. He doesn’t make movies for mass consumption, he makes films for intellectuals. If you’re familiar with Malick’s work, you know this. That doesn’t mean it’s automatically brilliant or even that interesting.
Fact of the matter is that A Hidden Life is a huge, overlong bore. At an epic length of nearly three hours, it may be beautiful to the naked eye, but it doesn’t do much for the brain. It doesn’t have as much to say as it thinks it does. It just goes on and on and on and on and on and on to seemingly no end. When it finally does end, you’re so relieved to be done with it, you don’t want to stop and think about what you just saw. Sadly, I don’t have that luxury in my capacity as Movie Guy 24/7.
Malick’s latest drama is based on the life of Franz Jagerstatter (Diehl, Inglorious Basterds), an Austrian farmer whose idyllic life is shattered when he’s called to fight for Germany in WWII. A devout Catholic and conscientious objector, he refused to serve or take an oath of loyalty to Hitler. He’s subsequently imprisoned, tried and sentenced to death. He was later (64 years later!) declared a martyr by the Pope and beatified.
The first half of A Hidden Life centers on Franz’s pre-war life with his wife Franziska (Pachner, The Ground Beneath My Feet) and three young daughters. He works the land and plays with his children. He’s well-liked by his neighbors in the small mountain village of St. Radegund. When Hitler comes into power, Franz makes it clear he doesn’t support him or the war. Everybody including the village priest (Moretti, Cold Hell) tries to talk sense into him, but his mind is made up. As a result, he and his family are ostracized by their neighbors.
In the second half, Franz’s number comes up. He has a huge decision to make although his choice is never in doubt. He is a man of principles. He doesn’t agree with Hitler’s agenda and nothing will change his mind. When he reports, he sticks to his guns and ends up in prison where he’s routinely harassed, threatened, beaten and humiliated by guards. His own lawyer begs him to sign an oath so he can go free. Franz holds steady right up until the minute of his date with the guillotine.
Although I hate to resort to clichés, it’s true if you’ve seen one or two Terrence Malick films, you’ve seen them all. A Hidden Life contains the usual beats and earmarks of a TM film: glacial pace (others call it “contemplative” or “meditative”), frequent voiceover narration, clipped dialogue and long, lingering shots of random images. Once again, nature is reflective of the dichotomy of the human soul as being both beautiful and cruel. The religious themes are obvious, almost painfully so. Like Jesus, Franz is a martyr. Then, of course, is the most obvious thing of all. With his story of a decent man persecuted by all around him for not drinking the Kool-Aid and blindly following a maniacal leader, he’s drawing a parallel to our times and a certain divisive Commander-in-Chief. A blind man can see this. I also get that Malick wants us to consider not only Franz’s actions, but the effect his personal moral choices have on his loved ones. Is he being selfish or true to himself in refusing to budge? Blah, blah, blah and so on and so on.
I realize I’m opening myself up to a full-on assault by snobby cinephiles and pseudo-intellectuals who look down on every movie that isn’t a graduate thesis. They hate people like me who aren’t afraid to call out filmmakers like Malick on their BS. Well, I don’t really give a damn what they think about me or my reviews. I know what I like and don’t like and I don’t like A Hidden Life. It’s freaking boring, that’s the bottom line. Even though it’s a half hour shorter, it still feels longer than The Irishman. I’ll grant that A Hidden Life is well-intentioned and the cinematography by Jorg Widmer, Malick’s go-to guy since The New World, is gorgeous. I’ll even allow that the acting is quite good. The problem is that I lost interest well before the end.
I get that Malick’s films aren’t for everybody. He has an alienating style that Joe Moviegoer simply won’t relate to. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for films that don’t follow the same artistic path as every big blockbuster-type movie that plays at multiplexes all year around. I love films that make me think, that get my mind swirling. What I don’t love are long-winded ones that don’t really say anything. A Hidden Life didn’t speak to me at all. That’s not to say others will feel the same. I’m sure some of you will disagree with my assessment. To that, I say bring it on.
