“A Hidden Life is a work of genius…”
– David Sexton, London Evening Standard

Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life, Days of Heaven) delivers one of his most impassioned works with this masterful return to form about the true story of a conscientious objector who chose prison over fighting for the Third Reich. An astonishing August Diehl (Inglourious Basterds) plays Franz Jägerstätter, a soft-spoken Austrian farmer living peacefully with his wife (Valerie Pachner, The Ground Beneath My Feet) and their children, but during WWII, he is forced to join the German army. The staunchly religious Franz refuses, setting in motion potentially dire repercussions. Guided by its luminous performances and the sort of jaw-dropping cinematography that comes with any Malick film, A Hidden Life is undoubtedly a sharp rebuke to the rise of fascism in our modern age, and Malick’s ethereal camerawork is constantly juxtaposed with the Nazis’ encroaching threat to Franz’s tranquil domain. It’s a transporting, supremely thoughtful drama that’s hard to shake. Director: Terrence Malick (Germany 2019) 173 min