‘A Hidden Life’ is a powerful true story

Posted on January 10, 2020

By MARK VIOLA

We all like to think that we would take a stand for something important, something that could change the world for the better. But what if your stand, no matter how righteous, was destined to be forgotten? What if your sacrifice would ultimately make no tangible difference, and would instead bring nothing but suffering to yourself and the ones you love?

That was the dilemma facing Austrian farmer Franz Jägerstätter when he refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II. Eighty years later, he is the subject of the new film, “A Hidden Life,” from writer/director Terrence Malick (“Tree of Life,” “The Thin Red Line”).

The film follows Franz (August Diehl, “Salt”) in the beautiful mountains of Austria. He sees his homeland running roughshod over the continent. Although as a conscientious objector, he would be willing to work in a hospital, he flatly refuses to swear loyalty to Adolf Hitler, something all soldiers were required to do. And, that sets the stage for the major conflict, because his refusal could lead to charges of treason and his possible execution, leaving his wife Fani (Valerie Pachner, “The Ground Beneath My Feet”) and his children at the mercy of their angry neighbors.

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