A Hidden Life

Terrence Malick's move from film-making recluse to suddenly becoming a dynamo of productivity has not been an unalloyed joy - much of his recent filmography has felt like self indulgences without much of a plot motivator. This one at least has a reasonable amount of story (although, yes, it is stretched across a three hour running time, and it's not exactly a speedy piece of storytelling). But at this point in his career, Malick is more interested in scenery than he is in people, and this tale of refusal to go along with the Nazis without actually actively taking action against them does feel a tad mild. It is gorgeously shot, and the Austrian scenery is wonderful to behold. And this is a film that manages to give a fair bit of space to the wife left behind once Franz is imprisoned, as she continues to try to maintain the farm with him gone in the face of a town that has turned its back on both of them. This isn't quite what I rush out to the cinema to see, but for what it is, it's pretty good at doing what it intends to do.