Within moments of starting to watch the film, there can be no doubt whose signature it bears.

“Malick’s poetic and passionate exploration of Franz’s resistance provides insights into our ethical and moral obligations as citizens.”

3 stars out of 5 -- Malick’s heartfelt and reverently high-minded new movie is inspired by a life that is little-known -- hidden, perhaps. Franz Jägerstetter was an Austrian conscientious objector during the second world war...

Rating: 3.5/5 -- Malick's film gets its point across and with a classical soundtrack by James Newton Howard. Full Review

A refulgent return to form from one of cinema’s vital auteurs, A HIDDEN LIFE pits the righteous against the Reich, and puts personal integrity over National Socialism, focusing on the true story of Austrian farmer Franz Jägerstätter’s rejection of Adolf Hitler and his refusal to serve in what he sees as an unjust war.

There are incredible performances that could be short films unto themselves. The late Nyqvist marvels as a man who clearly cannot say what his entire religious life should have prepared him to say.

Rating: 3/4 -- You admire this man and his devotion. You're enraged by this man because nobody in the world will know or care about his sacrifice... Full Review