Terrence Malick's 'A Hidden Life': An Exclusive Look

“The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”

English poet George Eliot’s famous words live and breathe in Terrence Malick’s sublime and highly affecting film “A Hidden Life,” the real-life story of Franz Jägerstätter, an unsung hero who, with his indomitable spirit, persevered to preserve his humanity in the face of persecution, subjugation and crushing madness.

Born and raised in the village of St. Radegund, the Austrian peasant farmer lived a simple life with his wife Franziska (Fani) and their three young daughters in the fertile valleys and mountains of upper Austria at the outbreak of World War II. Drafted into active military duty to fight for the Nazis, Franz refused to swear an oath of allegiance to Hitler and his Nazi regime because of his abiding faith. Meanwhile, Fani and their children faced derision from their tight-knit farming community. In the end, Franz’s willful abnegation of the Hitler oath would cost him his life in August 1943.

“A Hidden Life” is unquestionably a Malick film. Like other films in his notable body of work — “The Tree of Life,” “Badlands,” “Days of Heaven,” “The Thin Red Line” and “The New World” — it bears the director’s signature imagery that transcends the very essence of life, the existence of nature and its spiritual grace.

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Laden with beautifully crafted meditative narration, the three-hour film’s emotional arc lies in the relationship of Franz and Fani Jägerstätter, the married couple portrayed by August Diehl and Valerie Pachner in the movie.

“At the core, ‘A Hidden Life’ is a story about the love between two people torn apart by war,” Pachner tells Patch. “Without their love, it would have been difficult for them to face all the pain and sufferings they had to endure.”

Arguably, Franz’s devotion to his cause would be worthless without Fani’s sterling love and unwavering support. Fani stood by her husband constantly, while also raising their daughters and tending to their farm at the same time.

“What drew me in to portray Fani was her resolve to follow through what was in her heart despite all the sacrifices she had to make,” the Austrian actress recalled.

Pachner also said that Fani’s survival instinct was “very empowering,” considering the demands required for the physicality of her role.

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“I really became a big fan of farm work. We had to learn scything, milking cows and making butter,” Pachner said. “I loved it all. It was wonderful.”

Other memorable moments for Pachner was learning a new Malick catchphrase, “catching fishes.”

“The whole process of filming was really like gathering a lot of material,” Pachner said. “Terry [Terrence] once said that we’re trying to capture those special moments for the film. It’s like catching fishes.”

“Working with Terry was wonderful. He gave us so much freedom in terms of time and space,” Pachner said. “There were long takes and wide panoramic shots, encouraging us to improvise and speak our inner thoughts, not only as an actress but also as a contributor. It was very satisfying.”

Pachner, like the Jägerstätters, was raised in a small Austrian farming village. In fact, her hometown of Bad Schallerbach is near Sankt Radegund, a small village in Upper Austria where the Jägerstätter family lived.

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Before the movie premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the cast and crew showed the film to the Jägerstätters’ surviving daughters in their home, where they filmed some of the scenes.

“It was very emotional, to say the least. They’re now in their 80s, and they still carry the pain of having lost their father to that regime,” said the 32-year-old actress. “It didn’t have any subtitles yet, so I had to translate the film to them as they don’t speak English. Everyone was overcome with so much emotion.”

In all, “A Hidden Life” may not necessarily gravitate toward one central theme, but Pachner agrees that it’s vital to trust your instinct and be true to yourself.

“I can’t really extract that one particular message the film echoes, but it is important to find the right balance within you, where you can feel what you think is right,” Pachner said.

“A Hidden Life” is now in theaters everywhere.

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