A Hidden Life - Stretched Thin
Film No.7 From Leeds International Film Festival
I really wanted to love 'A Hidden Life', I really did, Terrence Mallick has been one of the most fascinating directors working in the industry for a while and the mutterings surrounding his new film seemed to imply that he was back on full form. 'A Hidden Life' is a quintessential War Drama, following the true story of an Austrian farmer who refuses to join the Nazi forces in a nearly three-hour emotional epic. It is a beautiful film that I simply could not engage with, I spent the entire duration appreciating a lot of what it was doing but not feeling any of the ambitious feelings Mallick is trying to replicate. It is a specific film that I can see being very divisive, but not in the same way that makes his other work divisive, instead, it is a film that asks a lot of its audience that can ultimately feel grating and frustrating.
It is undeniable that Mallick's greatest strength as a director is his ability to create this beautiful intense style of filmmaking. 'A Hidden Life' is nothing short of breathtaking stylistically, every element creates this intense feeling in the audience, it truly is transportive cinema at times. The Austrian countryside has never looked or felt more idyllic, Mallick creates such a beautiful environment and world in his first act that it almost steps over the edge. This devotion to creating a visceral atmosphere can get repetitive and hyperbolic at times, he paints such an unbelievable idyllic landscape in the first act that it becomes almost comical. The beauty is pushed to predictability and to feeling slightly forced, I know why Mallick is doing this and I completely understand the contrast he is trying to set up but I think it takes it too far that the contrast isn't as impactful as it should be. A running problem in the entire film is that a good hour could have been cut out completely, Mallick doesn't restrain himself and it becomes exhausting at times. This first act could have been so much more effective if he toned down how idyllic this world is, I simply can't feel sympathy for this character because no one has ever lived such a heightened essence of beauty in their lives.
I feel like a lot of the elements that Mallick has perfected would work better on a narrative that isn't as straight and predictable as this. All the feelings, ideas and themes Mallick brings up are entirely what you expect when you read the synopsis, it replicates all these elements well but none of it really lands as effective as Mallick thinks it does. It feels a bit gratuitous at times, the film is proud of its atmosphere and approach to what it is showing, but in reality, it rarely delves into the complex physiological and environmental qualities to such a challenging subject such as conscientious objection. Perhaps I'm not responding to it correctly, but there should be more to this three hour stylistic portrayal of these events than 'man misses and cares about idyllic family life', but that is all I got from these characters and what the film portrays The second and third acts are where the film's more traditional aspects arrive, Mallick demonstrates this horrendous and harrowing portrayal of prisoner of war camps to a realistic and brutal extent to the point where some scenes are vivid and disturbing. But it feels a bit like a one-trick pony, the brutality and upsetting treatment of our protagonist goes on for the majority of the film and after a while, it loses its impact to the point where the ending feels a bit shallow.
Mallick has perfected his art of filmmaking and that is the film's undeniable strength and frustrating part when it comes to criticising it. I can't deny that there are some of the most beautiful shots I have ever seen present in this film's entire run. I can't deny that the score is mesmerising with its beauty and elevates some scenes to their emotional strengths. I definitely can't deny that August Diehl and Valerie Pachner are hypnotic with their emotional performances, Pachner definitely steals the film with her emotional scenes in the third act. But all of this becomes tedious after a while, the beauty and the attention to detail get frustratingly repetitive and makes what should be a spellbinding experience dull at times. If Mallick shaved off an hour of this film we could have something really special and impactful, but anything that I wanted to love got tedious and less impactful as the film goes on. It is a prime example of the importance of pacing in films, how a film can fall apart if it doesn't hold its audience's attention. And it all feels so intentional, it just doesn't hit the mark, Mallick creates every feeling with such precision but he overuses these feelings and stretches them out to the point where there is no ultimate emotional resonance to what should be a leading experience.
Thanks for reading!