A Hidden Life

source: A Hidden Life

I feel I was tortured for 3 hours. I wish they showed why he feels that way. We know from history, but we need to see it from his eyes. The cinematography was great, but it was too slow.

Can we just appreciate the fact that the person who played the infamous Nazi from Inglorious Basterds is now playing the infamous Anti-Nazi in A Hidden Life?

Terence Malick has made some unique and wonderful films. This time, I feel he's reached a 'style over substance' moment that can't be overlooked. The story of a conscientious objector during WWII is certainly a workable topic. But this movie seems determined to be another ethereal art piece that's sort of a movie. The narrative is kept simple, not reaching the soulful depths i was expecting. The cinematography is fine but it's not life-changing. I mean, the location is really the star, and the angles and shots are merely relaying a background of beauty; in other words, filming in the Bavarian Alps you tend to get a lot of breathtaking shots. So what you end up getting is three hours of overindulgence in movie-making, and not a satisfying experience. I think Malick's deepest fan base will like it, but objectively, I don't see the greatness in this film, but perhaps great material to debate in a college classroom.

Nearly half a century lies between this film and the only previous Terrence Malick I'd seen, BADLANDS, which I admire very much and have watched a number of times. As might be expected, he's a very different film maker now. I found A HIDDEN LIFE something of a puzzle. It is undoubtedly beautiful to watch, even as its subject matter gets progressively grimmer. Its religiosity was something of a challenge to me, as was its stilted dialogue. Its story is the familiar one of a man suffering for what he believes. It is the story of John Procter, the hero of Arthur Miller's play THE CRUCIBLE; it is the story of Ibsen's Dr Stockmann, in the play ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. And of course it's the story of Jesus Christ. There is a tragic grandeur to all of these, and, whatever my reservations about it, there is tragic grandeur to A HIDDEN LIFE. My husband found it unbearably pretentious. I can see why. But I admire the way that this film isn't like anyone else's, that Malick has, in the course of the last half-century, found a way of working that delivers something unique. It certainly won't be to everyone's taste, and aspects of it test one's patience. All the same, I was glad to have seen it, not least for the cinematography and the performances, and the retelling of a story that we all still need to hear in these troubled times.

After seeing the previews, I expected more of this movie. First of all, it's too long and some of shot linger on...nice landscapes yes, but what did it contribute to the story? My biggest complaint is: It should have been done in German with English subtitles. Most of the actors were either German or Austrian so it begs the question, why wasn't the script written in German. It's a story of an Austrian. Everyone in Austria speaks German. It took away from the story, and as one other review stated, one could not truly connect to the actors. As authentically the story may have been told, I just could not find any great merit in the film.

Too long, with religious stuff that doesn't make sense and nothing to keep you away from boredom. I only enjoyed the scenery of the Austrian Alps, but this is not enough.

About two hours into A HIDDEN LIFE, I muttered, "When the hell does this end?" As I've sat through movies up to five hours long, it wasn't due to my attention span. This film did not need to be three hours long. It would have been much more solid at maybe two hours. Certain things work: the strong acting, the cinematography, the breathtaking Austrian locales, and the parallels to the United States under President Donald Trump. What keeps A HIDDEN LIFE from being a modern classic are the quick cuts, the artsy-fartsy touches, the heavy-handed religiosity, the turgid pace, and the sheer length of it. While Franz Jägerstätter's story deserved to be told on film, it also deserved a much leaner and more straightforward treatment than writer/director Terrence Malick gave it.

A cinematographic tour de force! This is an almost flawless movie and a true metaphysical drama. Probably the best movie of the Toronto international film festival. Base on a true story the photography is breath taking. You have to see it!

I don't know much about directors or writers. This movie had a good subject. But it was just too long and was filled with lectures and lectures. It killed the movie. After a while, the movie stops being interesting and becomes a good cure for insomnia. A big yawn.