Spirituality has defined many of Terrence Malick’s most universally lauded films throughout his career, from his foremost masterpiece The Tree of Life to some of his more polarizing films like Knight of Cups and more. Even when his films are not explicitly spiritual on the forefront, many seem to have a grander focus on portraying some sort of paradise being lost and the resulting internal journey. His newest film, A Hidden Life, is the film in his long career that perhaps exemplifies both of these aspects best. The film tells the true story of Franz Jägerstätter (August Diehl), an Austrian farmer turned conscientious objector during the Second World War who is executed in 1943 after being called up into service and refusing to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler.
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