A Hidden Life

An audiovisual beauty like all Malick's films although this is definitely the first one that has a more interesting story to tell since Tree of Life but unfortunately in my opinion its own ambition and pretense of doing something more epic plays against it because A Hidden Life it's a film that greatly extends its stay.

Although Malick doesn't change the formula he has been using both narrative and visually, this story manages to feel different perhaps because unlike films like To The Wonder, Knight of Cups and Song to Song, Malick goes back in time and the visual aura of the film has a more distinctive touch.

Again Malick doesn't seems to demand a lot from his actors because once again the romantic situations feel repetitive but as I said being a more relevant story, this time the interactions feel deeper.

Here the problem as I said is the duration. The film is just a few minutes away from being three hours long and because of the narrative's shape those three hours feels like too much.
I cannot deny that A Hidden Life is a beautiful film, it's a really good film but it's a really long one.

I mean, I completely enjoy it, I would see it again without a doubt but I could definitely cut an hour from it to make it more agile, although I understand this was Malick's vision and desire for the audiences to experience his film.

I repeat, I liked it a lot, it's Malick's most rewarding work since Tree of Life and it's a film that any serious movie lover will enjoy or at least it will give it the chance to be marvel by it.

Terrence Malick is a filmmaker whose primary concern is the sanctity of the human soul, and in this instance, he has chosen a time and a place where that sanctity was under tremendous threat, and a story of two people sacrificing themselves to protect it. 'A Hidden Life' is a remarkable and uncompromising film, a work of hope and sorrow and belief in the human spirit. Even with the foundation of a true story, Malick still continues to experiment, to follow his instincts and find a thematic journey more important than a narrative one. At nearly three hours, with almost no dialogue, a slow and considered pace and Malick's propensity for aesthetic indulgence, it certainly won't be a film for everyone, but those able to tap into it will find a deep and profound experience. 'A Hidden Life' isn't Terrence Malick returning to form. It's another step in the evolution and exploration of one of the most singular filmmakers the cinema has ever seen.
- Daniel Lammin

Read Daniel's full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-a-hidden-life-terrence-malicks-stunning-ode-to-the-power-of-kindness

“If God gives us free will, we are responsible for what we do or what we fail to do.”

Ambitious, but strangely simple.

A true and powerful story told in a very Malick way. Based on letters written in Austria during Hitler’s early reigns; ‘A Hidden Life’ follows a husband and wife objecting the Nazi party - which unfortunately leads to the husbands imprisonment and his wife being persecuted by villagers, all friends and neighbours for decades - all become enemies.

The camera work and cinematography were all excellent, of course with it being a Terrance Malick movie. Free flowing camera movement that often drifts around the actors and looms over these people's lives - often getting up close and personal. There are some powerhouse performances from everyone as Malick effectively lets the actors work freely by improvising on the spot and being present in the moment. So we get to experience Franz and his wife Franziska (along with their children) living in the present and how beautifully poetic it can be. So we can briefly live the life of these people before the horrors of war ruin everything. The little moments we take for granted.

Apparently whenever an actor gets dry on camera, Malick would gently push them forward and tell them to keep going - in terms of activity and discovering new things while losing a train of thought and reverie in character. I think this is the reason why the actors always give such raw and natural performances. I would imagine it also helps them develop and personally attach themselves to the character in bolder lengths, because they can never do wrong.

Although it didn’t need to be three hours long and could have easily been 2 hours. I had issues with how long the movie stayed in one setting, as it dragged the pacing down a bit. I must admit there was a point where I nearly dozed off, not because it was boring, but prior to watching I had a long day that pretty much drained me and the movie at times didn’t help. However there was a point mid way through where the movie woke me up, which is incredibly rare for an art house movie.

I’ll give Malick credit, nobody makes movies like he does. Love it or hate it, but no other director has come close to finding the inner heart and soul in nature that’s with human beings. I think it’s easy to look at his work and label them as “pretentious”. His approach to narration is incredibly jumbled, but more truthful than movie dialogue, because we don’t mean what we say most of the time; a rambling mess. I often find the people who dismiss him and think they know about ‘keeping it real’, are the pretentious ones.

The unique thing about this movie and his previous work, when the movie is over you start to notice nature and I really do mean notice nature - something you would have never done before. Such as: grass and leaves dancing in the wind, natural light, the warmth of the sun touching your skin, and the smell of nature. It’s incredibly compelling how a movie can activate my senses that I haven’t experience in a very long time, dating back to childhood.

“Nostalgia is a powerful feeling; it can drown out anything.”

Overall rating: A welcome return to form.