Review of A Hidden Life (2019) by Cmc — 18 Dec 2019

Powerful and genuine. A dream-like ethereal journey that raises serious questions about how to live ethically, and the bravery and clarity of those who do. The film is typical Malick with voice-overs, humans occupying the landscape, and dreamy liminal long sequences.

All of the scenes and acting feel completely authentic. The combination of Austrian and English with subtitles works extremely well. The subtle sound design is also effective. I think that some scenes and situations are bit longer than required to tell the story and not feel rushed.

I also did not care for some aspects of the cinematography; many scenes are too wide-angle in a way that slightly diminishes the presence of the actors; the hand-held shakiness imparts a Go-Pro feel that at times seems too modern and too nervous for such a slow-moving and reflective film; and the all-natural lighting is problematic where great light latitude is required, resulting in many dark interior scenes with the outdoors completely white and too-hot.

Nevertheless, this is an accomplished and successful film, the best from Malick since The Thin Red Line.