The stunning mountain valleys of the Alps form the backdrop to a heartrending drama about an Austrian farmer who refuses to submit to the rule of Nazi Germany. This new film by American cinema maestro Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line, The Tree of Life) is based on the life of Franz Jägerstätter, who was imprisoned for his silent resistance to the German Anschluss.
For the screenplay, Malick draws on letters Jägerstätter wrote to his wife. As he festers in jail, she is ostracised by the villagers. In A Hidden Life, Malick investigates how the Jägerstätters found the strength to sacrifice their lives and well-being for a higher ideal. As in his previous work, he lyrically represents his characters’ rich inner worlds using fluid images, a rich soundtrack and associative editing.
Film details
Productielanden
Germany, USA
Jaar
2019
Festivaleditie
IFFR 2020
Lengte
180'
Medium/Formaat
DCP
Taal
English, German, Italian
Première status
None
Director
Terrence Malick
Screenplay
Terrence Malick
Principal cast
Bruno Ganz, Matthias Schoenaerts, August Diehl, Valerie Pachner, Michael Nyqvist, Maria Simon, Jürgen Prochnow
Production company
Elizabeth Bay Productions, Studio Babelsberg, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH
Producer
Grant Hill, Dario Bergesio, Josh Jeter, Elisabeth Bentley