A Hidden Life (2019 film)

A Hidden Life is a 2019 historical drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick, starring August Diehl, Valerie Pachner, with both Michael Nyqvist and Bruno Ganz in their final performances. The plot follows Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II. The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019.

Plot
Austrian conscientious objector Franz Jägerstätter refuses to fight for the Third Reich in World War II and is executed by them in 1943.

Cast

 * August Diehl as Franz Jägerstätter
 * Valerie Pachner as Franziska Jägerstätter
 * Michael Nyqvist as Bishop Joseph Fliesser
 * Jürgen Prochnow as Major Schlegel
 * Matthias Schoenaerts as Captain Herder
 * Bruno Ganz as Judge Lueben
 * Martin Wuttke as Major Kiel
 * Alexander Fehling as Fredrich Feldmann
 * Maria Simon as Resie
 * Franz Rogowski as Waldlan
 * Tobias Moretti as Ferdinand Fürthauer
 * Ulrich Matthes as Lorenz Schwaninger
 * Max Mauff as Sterz
 * Johan Leysen as Ohlendorf
 * Sophie Rois as Aunt
 * Karl Markovics as Major
 * Alexander Radszun as Sharp Judge
 * Joel Basman as Military Trainee
 * Waldemar Kobus as Stein
 * Johannes Krisch as Miller
 * Ulrich Brandhoff as Captain Jürgen
 * Leonard Kunz as Sharp Assistant
 * Nicholas Reinke as Father Moericke
 * Karin Neuhäuser as Rosalia
 * Thomas Mraz as Prosecutor Lars
 * Sarah Born as Girl

Development
On June 23, 2016, reports emerged that A Hidden Life (initially titled Radegund) would depict the life of Austria’s Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector during World War II who was put to death at the age of 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. A delay is expected with the death of Bruno Ganz.

Writing
Malick said A Hidden Life will have a more structured narrative than his previous works: "Lately – I keep insisting, only very lately – have I been working without a script and I’ve lately repented the idea. The last picture we shot, and we’re now cutting, went back to a script that was very well ordered."

Filming
The film began production in Studio Babelsberg in Potsdam, Germany in summer 2016, and was also shot in other parts of Europe. The casting agency Han & Oldenburg reported a shoot in Brixen and other locations in South Tyrol, in northern Italy, from July 11 through August 19, 2016.

In August 2016 reports emerged that some of the film's scenes were shot in the small Italian mountain village of Sappada.

Post-production
Actor Franz Rogowski said in a March 2019 interview that no one knew how the film would turn out or when it would be released, considering that it had been in post-production for more than two years at that point. Rogowski added that Malick is "a director who creates spaces rather than produces scenes; his editing style is like that."

Release
A Hidden Life premiered in competition at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2019. The following day, the film was acquired by Fox Searchlight Pictures for $12–14 million.

Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 75% based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 7.48/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Ambitious and visually absorbing, A Hidden Life may prove inscrutable to non-devotees -- but for viewers on Malick's wavelength, it should only further confirm his genius." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".