A meditation on morality and faith; a film of unparalleled sublimity

Legendary director Terrence Malick's films are about the search for transcendence in a compromised and often evil world, and, telling the true story of the Austrian conscientious objector Franz Jägerstätter, who refused to swear an oath of allegiance to Hitler, A Hidden Life is no different, asking questions such as should one do what one knows to be morally right, even when it accomplishes nothing except the suffering of one's self and family; what is the value of sacrifice if it goes unknown; how far can principals be invoked in such a situation; should spiritual purity be the supreme arbitrator of one's conscience; is one obliged to condemn evil even if that condemnation is irrelevant? Pretty light stuff all round, really. Winner of both the Prix François Chalais and the Prix du Jury Œcuménique at Cannes, the film was screened at the Vatican Film Library in December 2019, with Malick making an ultra-rare public appearance. And how good is A Hidden Life? Very, very, very good. Not quite Thin Red Line/Tree of Life good, but certainly Badlands/Days of Heaven/New World good. This is cinema at its most sublimely pious, a supremely talented master-auteur operating at the height of his not inconsiderable powers.

For my complete review, please visit: https://boxd.it/Y2f47