Here in /TrueFilm there was a recent discussion about Terrence Malick's The New World. That inspired me to type a few words about Malick's latest film A Hidden Life (2019).

A Hidden Life tells the story of an Austrian farmer and conscientious objector Franz Jägerstätter, who refused to take the oath of serving in Hitler's army during the WWII. Because of that he was arrested by the Nazis and captured in prison. Jägerstätter repeatedly refused to take arms and eventually was sentenced to death. He was executed in 9 August 1943. He left behind a wife and four daughters, including one from a previous relationship. In 2007 Catholic Church beatified him and declared him a martyr.

First, I would like to say that I respect everyone's views and status on religion and what follows is my own personal and subjective analysis of this film.

For me it is really obvious that Malick's films are usually deeply influenced by theology and Christian symbolism. I find it a bit surprising that many film critics don't bring this up when discussing his films. A Hidden Life is one of the most obvious examples of this. It tells the story of a Christian martyr and what it literally means to give one's life to serve God. During the film Jägerstätter (played by August Diehl) is repeatedly humiliated and questioned by many people because of his decision, including fellow town citizens and clergy members of the church. Why are you doing this? What is the point of your actions? Nobody sees what you're doing!

In some sense there are no reasonable answers to those questions. Paraphrasing St. Paul, the wisdom of God is often foolishness in the eyes of this world. World, which is about power and control. The film is a symbolic journey to the heart of Christianity, which means to suffer voluntarily.

In one of the film's key monologues a painter in the church contemplates how we are a culture of admirers but not followers of God. He yearns to paint the real Christ instead of the image of him that people usually want to see. Men have forgotten what evil looks like, or we just want to close our eyes and ignore it. And you can't blame them. It takes a lot from an individual to stand for their values when facing the herd mentality, that eventually is the power behind the rise of ideological regimes.

In the center of Christianity is the call to pick up one's cross, and that's what Hidden Life is basically all about. It is about trying to be loyal to beauty and love in the middle of raging evil and totalitarian terror. It is one of the finest metaphors of Christian life that I have seen in contemporary art for a while.

Malick's previous films To The Wonder, Knight of Cups and Song to Song are modern stories that catch glimpses of doomed relationships and attempts to escape pain and alienation into meaningless sex and fame. Cinematically they are quite different from A Hidden Life, but I can't help seeing a religious undertone in all of them. The previous "trilogy" is about repenting the lifestyle of sin and that Christian narration in some sense concludes in A Hidden Life.

I think it's one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. The emotional impact of it is stunning, something very few other films can reach. It is a deeply religious and Christian film but not in a preachy or moralising manner. A transcendental work of art.