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Just like his ‘Thin Red Line’, Terrence Malick’s latest film is a commentary on World War II from the standpoint of metaphysical humanism. ‘Hidden Life’ retells the true story of Franz Jägerstätter (played by August Diehl), an Austrian farmer who refuses to serve in Hitler’s army following the Anschluss. For his defiance, he brings the wrath of the Nazis not only upon himself, but also on his wife Fani (Valerie Pachner) and his daughters. Jägerstätter is doomed but he never abandons his goal of preserving the ‘faith — freedom — light’ paradigm.
Similar to Walt Whitman, the pantheistic theme looks into life amidst universal movement in a poetic way. The film received two awards at Cannes: the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the François Chalais Prize. It was also nominated for the Palme d’Or.