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Post by HELENA MARIA on Nov 24, 2019 18:52:08 GMT
In my humble opinion, A Hidden Life is Terrence Malick 's most accomplished film since The Thin Red Line. There' s so much beauty, poetry and authenticity in it that despite the rather excessive duration, it still remains a very enjoyable experience. The 2 lead actors are incredible especially August Diehl who's currently my 2019 Leading Actor win. He's absolutely magnetic and portrays one of the most powerful characters I've ever seen in a long time. It's a masterpiece of storytelling and a superb tribute to all the men and women who are willing to put their life at risk to stand up for their beliefs. Special mention to Jörg Widmer for the exquisite cinematography.
9/10
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Post by stephen on Nov 24, 2019 19:01:45 GMT
Really glad to hear positive word on Diehl and the film itself.
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Nov 24, 2019 19:06:26 GMT
I'm always skeptical about Malick but this one looked really beautiful and I can't wait to see it. Glad you liked it!
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Film Socialism
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Post by Film Socialism on Nov 24, 2019 21:05:58 GMT
i've heard really shitty things about this one so far from people that i give a shit about when it comes to their malick thoughts. kinda sad he's ditching his traditional 10s approach so early as that made him one of the most exciting directors for me.
however i'll still see this one as soon as i can, a new malick is always an event
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omarfr9
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Post by omarfr9 on Nov 24, 2019 23:00:44 GMT
On my humble opinion, A Hidden Life is Terrence Malick 's most accomplished film since The Thin Red Line. There' s so much beauty, poetry and authenticity in it that despite the rather excessive duration, it still remains a very enjoyable experience. The 2 lead actors are incredible especially August Diehl who's currently my 2019 Leading Actor win. He's absolutely magnetic and portrays one of the most powerful characters I've ever seen in a long time. It's a masterpiece of storytelling and a superb tribute to all the men and women who are willing to put their life at risk to stand up for their beliefs. Special mention to Jörg Widmer for the exquisite cinematography. 9/10 Glac to see some love for the movie. What did you think of Pachner? I rather loved her performance, she had such a naturalistic chemistry with Diehl. The contrast between the more subtle Diehl and the more emotional Pachner really worked for me.
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Post by HELENA MARIA on Nov 25, 2019 15:14:03 GMT
On my humble opinion, A Hidden Life is Terrence Malick 's most accomplished film since The Thin Red Line. There' s so much beauty, poetry and authenticity in it that despite the rather excessive duration, it still remains a very enjoyable experience. The 2 lead actors are incredible especially August Diehl who's currently my 2019 Leading Actor win. He's absolutely magnetic and portrays one of the most powerful characters I've ever seen in a long time. It's a masterpiece of storytelling and a superb tribute to all the men and women who are willing to put their life at risk to stand up for their beliefs. Special mention to Jörg Widmer for the exquisite cinematography. 9/10 Glac to see some love for the movie. What did you think of Pachner? I rather loved her performance, she had such a naturalistic chemistry with Diehl. The contrast between the more subtle Diehl and the more emotional Pachner really worked for me. Oh man, she was so incredible! Her performance moved me to tears. She has such an expressive face and could have been a marvelous silent movie star. You could definitely feel the deep love she had for her husband. It was so overwhelming and powerful
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Post by pendragon on Dec 21, 2019 3:29:08 GMT
This isn't just Terrence Malick's best film since The Tree of Life, as many have back-handedly labeled it, it's one of his best films period. Arguable his most dramatic and emotional film, it tells a strong, easily accessible story and in the hands of a different director, it would be prime Oscar Bait. However, filtered through Malick's unique style, it becomes something much more poetic. Despite being more script-based, Malick hasn't abandoned his late period aesthetic. The camera drifts and glides and the editing, unconcerned with linear continuity, weaves a tapestry of emotions and memories. Like the best Malick films, it's as thematically rich as it is visually stunning. This is also possibly Malick's most political film. How much was intended is unknown, but it's impossible not to see parallels to current events in the United States. In the film we see a nation fall in behind a tyrannical leader who demands oaths of loyalty. We see people praise that leader for making the nation strong again and going after "outsiders" who have supposedly hurt the nation. We see friends and neighbors of the main characters attack them for not supporting the leader. The film doesn't beat you over the head with this, but it is there. One interesting thing about the film, and this is a spoiler, though if you know anything about Franz Jägerstätter, this will not be a surprise. Several times in the film, Franz is asked if he thinks his defiance will change anything regarding the war and the Third Reich, or indeed if anyone will even know what happened. He doesn't have an answer but to him, it still matters. And it is true, his sacrifice doesn't change anything and were it not for chance, his story would have been lost to history, just another anonymous casualty of the Third Reich. And Franz doesn't set out to be a martyr. He constantly doubts himself and whether he can, or even should, go through with this. One final note, the last line of the film is probably my favorite line of the year.
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Post by HELENA MARIA on Dec 22, 2019 19:51:25 GMT
This isn't just Terrence Malick's best film since The Tree of Life, as many have back-handedly labeled it, it's one of his best films period. Arguable his most dramatic and emotional film, it tells a strong, easily accessible story and in the hands of a different director, it would be prime Oscar Bait. However, filtered through Malick's unique style, it becomes something much more poetic. Despite being more script-based, Malick hasn't abandoned his late period aesthetic. The camera drifts and glides and the editing, unconcerned with linear continuity, weaves a tapestry of emotions and memories. Like the best Malick films, it's as thematically rich as it is visually stunning. This is also possibly Malick's most political film. How much was intended is unknown, but it's impossible not to see parallels to current events in the United States. In the film we see a nation fall in behind a tyrannical leader who demands oaths of loyalty. We see people praise that leader for making the nation strong again and going after "outsiders" who have supposedly hurt the nation. We see friends and neighbors of the main characters attack them for not supporting the leader. The film doesn't beat you over the head with this, but it is there. One interesting thing about the film, and this is a spoiler, though if you know anything about Franz Jägerstätter, this will not be a surprise. Several times in the film, Franz is asked if he thinks his defiance will change anything regarding the war and the Third Reich, or indeed if anyone will even know what happened. He doesn't have an answer but to him, it still matters. And it is true, his sacrifice doesn't change anything and were it not for chance, his story would have been lost to history, just another anonymous casualty of the Third Reich. And Franz doesn't set out to be a martyr. He constantly doubts himself and whether he can, or even should, go through with this. One final note, the last line of the film is probably my favorite line of the year. So glad you loved it. Nods & wins?
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Post by pendragon on Dec 23, 2019 21:29:14 GMT
This isn't just Terrence Malick's best film since The Tree of Life, as many have back-handedly labeled it, it's one of his best films period. Arguable his most dramatic and emotional film, it tells a strong, easily accessible story and in the hands of a different director, it would be prime Oscar Bait. However, filtered through Malick's unique style, it becomes something much more poetic. Despite being more script-based, Malick hasn't abandoned his late period aesthetic. The camera drifts and glides and the editing, unconcerned with linear continuity, weaves a tapestry of emotions and memories. Like the best Malick films, it's as thematically rich as it is visually stunning. This is also possibly Malick's most political film. How much was intended is unknown, but it's impossible not to see parallels to current events in the United States. In the film we see a nation fall in behind a tyrannical leader who demands oaths of loyalty. We see people praise that leader for making the nation strong again and going after "outsiders" who have supposedly hurt the nation. We see friends and neighbors of the main characters attack them for not supporting the leader. The film doesn't beat you over the head with this, but it is there. One interesting thing about the film, and this is a spoiler, though if you know anything about Franz Jägerstätter, this will not be a surprise. Several times in the film, Franz is asked if he thinks his defiance will change anything regarding the war and the Third Reich, or indeed if anyone will even know what happened. He doesn't have an answer but to him, it still matters. And it is true, his sacrifice doesn't change anything and were it not for chance, his story would have been lost to history, just another anonymous casualty of the Third Reich. And Franz doesn't set out to be a martyr. He constantly doubts himself and whether he can, or even should, go through with this. One final note, the last line of the film is probably my favorite line of the year. So glad you loved it. Nods & wins? Best Picture Best Director, Terrence MalickBest Actor, August Diehl Best Actress, Valerie Pachner Best Adapted Screenplay Best Cinematography Best Production Design Best Film Editing Best Sound Mixing Best Original ScoreI didn't mention it before, but the score is absolutely beautiful.
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Post by stephen on Dec 29, 2019 17:48:11 GMT
Terrence Malick's latest film has been touted as a return to form, narratively speaking . . . and indeed, his saga of noted Austrian pacifist Franz Jägerstätter is indeed more substantial and linear than the films he's made of late. But Malick's latest also happens to be his longest film, and it really does feel it. A Hidden Life is resplendently shot, as per usual, and his depiction of Jägerstätter's bucolic lifestyle in the hinterlands of St. Radegund before he is summoned to answer Hitler's call to arms is indeed one of the most gorgeous portrayals of a peaceful life. But Malick has not yet entirely shed the tonal abstraction that has been a staple of his post-Tree of Life career; he has a tendency towards repetition here, showing multiple versions of the same scene and shot, and while certain aspects of it lend itself to thematic resonance (i.e. the bicyclist who consistently passes Franz and his wife on the street, bringing news of outside events), there are times where I feel Malick's indulgence could've been curbed a bit.
Indeed, the film's runtime is really its biggest black mark, because overall, it's a majestically staged experience. August Diehl and Valerie Pachner (don't forget either one come AMARA time, gang!) are wonderful and achingly believable in their characters and dynamic, and Pachner in particular hearkens back to Malick's skill at coaxing breakthrough performances from his actresses (Sissy Spacek, Q'Orianka Kilcher, Jessica Chastain) and shows that he's never lost that particular tool in his arsenal. Jorg Widmer's sweeping cinematography captures the pastoral landscapes of Austria so wonderfully, it made me yearn to return to it (I was in Austria earlier this year as part of a European tour and it was my favorite country to explore and experience). And then there's the music, which is simply sumptuous. It's a shame it's been disqualified for Oscar consideration; the pieces that are original are divinely hewn and combined is some of the most evocative soundtrack I've heard in ages.
A Hidden Life can be trying to the Malickian neophyte; indeed, I'd say it's probably his most inscrutable film overall. Even his three autobiographical tone poems (To the Wonder / Knight of Cups / Song to Song) are relatively straightforward if you apply what one knows of Malick's personal life (little as it may be) to them. But A Hidden Life, I feel, asks more of its viewer, to explore not just what would make one risk death and martyrdom for a cause that many might say could've been easily avoided, but also what would make one accept that decision from another and live with it.
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Film Socialism
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Post by Film Socialism on Jan 2, 2020 17:27:24 GMT
the worst he's done this decade and it's not close. so mad the nerds won the cultural war and bullied one of the like three a list experimental directors out of his niche. still not that bad tho, just disappointing and crying for a more new malick style movie
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jakob
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Post by jakob on Jan 8, 2020 4:36:47 GMT
There’s a lot to like about this one visually, but I honestly was just bored as hell. And I like Malick. Thin Red Line is one of the best war movies ever and The Tree of Life is one of our great experimental art pieces this decade, but man, for a film with a two-paragraph Wikipedia plot summary to be stretched to three full hours was an absolute chore. It was like Silence, but without all of the great contemplative and challenging conversations and debates that kept that film startlingly alive. It was emotional toward the end for sure, but I feel that is based more on the subject matter than what was earned with the two and a half hours that came before it. I will say though that Valerie Pachner really grabbed my attention and I expect to see a lot more of her in the next five years.
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Post by DeepArcher on Jan 10, 2020 0:36:10 GMT
This is certainly the most straightforward narrative a Malick film has had in over ten years, but it's still not a film that's gonna win over any new converts. A Hidden Life gives you everything that you'd naturally expect from a Malick film: breathtaking natural landscapes, an always-moving camera, constant voiceover narration, transcendent themes of grace and love in the face of a turbulent existence. And it gives it to you for three hours uninterrupted. The central relationship between husband and wife is easily the most affecting part of the film for me, and August Diehl and Valerie Pachner have a one-of-a-kind physical chemistry here (Pachner in particular is just extraordinary, she's a revelation for Malick's lens), but even still, that doesn't earn so much of the film being letters sent back-and-forth between the couple read via voiceover narration. When an auteur so stubborn with his style like Malick produces something this long, it's almost inevitable that it winds up being something so indulgent and so unnecessarily long-winded, to the point that A Hidden Life is so bloated that it becomes emotionally inert for long stretches in a way that Malick's films, faults and all, never are. Something even seems "off" about the cinematography at times, lacking in color and texture and just strikingly monochromatic and sterile aside from a handful of truly great shots. It's hard not to have a deep appreciation for Malick's themes and the undying value he finds in peace and serenity, and in a lot of ways the film's anti-hate message makes it feel like the first Malick to really be reactionary. And really, the entire film is just a three-hour meditation on love and hate, good and evil, and it's an exercise that's equal parts profound and repetitive, insightful and tiresome. At least, the last half or so is a truly tremendous tremendous stretch of film where you won't know what just hit you; unfortunately, the hike to get to the top of that mountain, if you haven't prepared for it, can be a bit exhausting.
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Post by The_Cake_of_Roth on Jan 10, 2020 6:20:17 GMT
Damn, it feels good to actually enjoy a Malick film again. I agree with what was said above about this being not only his best work since The Tree of Life, but among his best films period. I can't imagine a better told version of this story, which is a great fit for Malick's sensibility. While his last couple films to me were tediously repetitive and shapeless, this was more focused, felt like it was actually building towards something, and the higher stakes gave the spiritual and moral themes more weight. I was concerned about the length going in, but I was pleasantly surprised in that nothing seemed extraneous to me and the runtime felt justified.
This is the first of Malick's films that actually feels like it's about right now, despite its period setting ("they won't fight truth, they'll just ignore it"). Lots of small poetic moments including one involving a conversation with an artist that's reminiscent of a scene in The Seventh Seal, and another with Bruno Ganz's character contemplatively sitting in a chair once occupied by Franz and revealing a flicker of doubt. Many memorable images, including poetic contrast of Franz and his wife lovingly and playfully planting potatoes in the earth, and Franz's wife later clawing at the earth in despair, her sister consoling her and caressing her head with mud-caked hands. As a portrait of spiritual abnegation, this is one of Malick's most moving films.
My current #2 of 2019 (behind The Irishman).
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Post by pacinoyes on Jan 20, 2020 10:48:43 GMT
Shocked how much I liked this - I didn't even like Tree of Life overall but this is far more direct for Malick, than that flawed (sometimes great), ambitious film. But A Hidden Life is no less ambitious in its way too and for Malick he often here for once conveys feeling rather than instructing you what to feel (in his lesser work he makes you feel like an idiot at the mercy of a didactic college professor).
This movie is actually a perfect mid-point between two of the biggest films of 2019 - The Irishman and 1917 - in its philosophical underpinnings, ideas, craft.......and length.........the length did bother me (it always does with Malick) but its genuinely, intellectually honest, very well-acted (a rarity for Malick, especially lately) and moving - there are a few passages here that almost rival The Irishman's grand vision with a deeper sense of feeling than I got from 1917. 7.5+/10
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Post by alexanderblanchett on Feb 1, 2020 14:51:27 GMT
Finally Terrence Malick is back with a real masterpiece and his best film since "The Tree of Life". Its a film that really gets under your skin if you embrace to it. Malick's longest film is also one of his most emotional and thought provoking ones in a way. We show two different worlds colliding with each other. Malick takes a lot of time to really show the idyllic and peaceful life of Austrian villagers, far away from the cruelty of the world, but collides with it when one of the villagers is called in for war but declines. August Diehl wonderfully plays this real life figure and gives a truly tour de force performance. A performance that is only challenged by Valerie Pachner who is just outstanding, especially in the second half of the film. We got the last roles of Bruno Ganz and Michael Nyqvist, although rather cameos than real supporting roles but thats most of the cast expect for Diehl and Pachner as those two actors play characters that embodie the whole emotions of people that are forced into a war they dont want. Typically for Terrence Malick you are treated with a fantastic cinematography. Unforgettable images of pure and innocent nature. It is fantastic how he links that to the true hell...and combines it (take notice of the constant bird singing in the film) He uses it as its second protagonists and symbol the same time. Also the score by James Newton Howard is fantastic and emotional. It is long yes but except for a section after 2 hours it doesn't feel like it because Malick needs that time to bring the people, their believes and culture close to his audience.
Current nominations for:
Best Director: Terrence Malick Best Cinematography Best Score
Rating: 9/10
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Post by themoviesinner on Feb 1, 2020 16:10:34 GMT
This was great. One of Malick's best films for me, on par with Days Of Heaven and The New World and his best film of the previous decade by far.
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Post by jimmalone on Feb 21, 2020 9:42:44 GMT
Finally saw this and was very impressed. Even here in Austria Franz Jägerstätter and his brave and tragic story are not as well-known as he deserves, so it is sastisfying that Terrence Malick raises a monument to his name. It's a story that plays well to Malick's strengths. I think Jägerstätter's inner conflict and later on his inner conviction are ideal for Malick's approach to cinema and therefore he really creates a very contemplative and spiritual film about a man, who stands up for what his believes and remains his composure and a kind of calmness even when the world breaks down over him. Of course there are again the well working voice-overs, but mostly August Diehl and the camera do already enough that the viewer understands Jägerstätter's feelings and feels his firm belief. There reocurrs a similiar pattern to the story as in "The Thin Red Line" and "The New World". It's about some people, who live more or less in peace and in accordance with nature, but war destroys their idyll. Malick again uses this to integrate some breathtaking pictures of our planet and pits them against the brutality mankind has created. And honestly, despite there being some great contenders this year, it is a little surprising that Jörg Widmer's breathtaking cinematography didn't get nominated for an oscar. Together with the important message of the film, that is as relevant today, when I sadly notice the anger and xenophobia that raises again in Austria and Germany and other countries, this creates a poetic film again in the vein of Malick's forementioned films. One element that didn't really work that well for me were the many cuts, especially within dialogues, which were rather disrupting than supporting to the essence of the iamges and words and maybe you could have shortened the film for 10-15 minutes, cause some scenes are pretty redundant and offer nothing we didn't already see or feel. But those are just minor complaints for a beautiful movie. This is one of the best films of the year and my second favourite Malick behind "The Thin Red Line".
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Feb 21, 2020 19:36:55 GMT
Saw this a month ago and felt really conflicted. I think there's a wonderful film in there somewhere, but three hours is too much for how repetitive the storytelling is, and I think the one-dimensionality of Diehl's protagonist kept his performance in a box. Highlights for me were Pachner (sensational) and James Newton Howard's exultant score. the full review on Letterboxd: There's a really beautiful two-hour movie trapped inside this three-hour reverie. I really don't know why this had to be so long because the middle section is repetitive, almost stagnant. I realized early in the runtime that Malick's take on conscientious objector Franz Jägerstätter was going to emphasize his sainthood at the expense of his humanity, and the only really interesting character in this film was going to be Jägerstätter's longsuffering wife and mother to their three daughters (portrayed gracefully by Austrian actress Valerie Pachner). His suffering is dryly noble, never terrified or furious, simply resigned. Malick hijacks that depiction to meditate on spirituality and faith, as Malick sometimes does, but it's through the character of Fani that he returns to his thematic roots of nature's inherent splendor uprooted by human folly, which is Malick at his best.
The idylic town of St. Ragedund with its salt of the earth farmers working their land might as well be a parallel to Powhatan tribes in The New World or the wandering Depression-era farmhands in Days of Heaven, so the sections of the film focusing on Fani's struggles on the family farm are recontextualizations of those ideas, framed this time against the disease of Nazi tribalism. Whereas Franz's suffering is dull and ponderous, Fani's suffering is achingly palpable, devastatingly human. It's the suffering of all women who have to pay for their husbands' choices, even the noble choices, and in her case it's inexorably tied to her loving spirit: love of her husband, her children, her god, and her home in Radegund.
The film's beautiful closing minutes find her dreaming of a restored future in a montage of Jörg Widmer's awestruck visuals overlayed by James Newton Howard's rapturous score: "We'll come together, plant orchards, fields. We'll build the land back up." It's ethereal and beautiful. A prayer, a hope for what might be. All the saints in all the religious literature in all of Christendom can't stand next to that kind of splendor.
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avnermoriarti
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Post by avnermoriarti on Feb 21, 2020 19:55:50 GMT
It is well made, although the aesthetic is derivative from his previous work, still I was engaged throughout, but I think Malick takes a limited approach because is just about celebrating this man, the moment some ideas/principled are questioned he turns to the other side, and for three hours, is a movie that can be simplified in three sentences: nazis are bad, life’s a bitch and Diehl’s character is GOOD.
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Post by cheesecake on Feb 22, 2020 0:00:45 GMT
I saw this back in December and still find myself thinking about it every now and again. Definitely a return to form for Malick, with the orgasmic scenery almost a character in itself (I NEED TO GO BACK TO AUSTRIA ASAP). The score is gorgeous and leads are so wonderful, especially Pachner, but the pacing really brings it down. Despite the length, I feel like a lot wasn't as fleshed out as it could have been. 3/5
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Feb 23, 2020 7:17:42 GMT
So glad to see people mentioning the score. I feel like James Newton Howard hasn't sounded this good since The Village... where were the accolades for this beautiful music?
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Post by JangoB on Mar 4, 2020 18:31:32 GMT
Very good. I'm glad to see Malick go back to firmer character-based drama and storytelling - he already did that with "Song to Song" which was a vast improvement on his last couple of experimental features and this time he truly devotes the film to the two main characters. I quite like that aspect about it, just how focused it is on Franz and Fani, on their everyday lives (which of course include a lot of frolicking) and on their separate experiences when he is taken away. This is the first Malick film which feels repetetive from within but I mean that as kind of a compliment - the narrative is not concerned with upping the ante, with surprising the viewer with new developments or variety. It's a narrative that truly feels like it's depicting the flow of these two lives which remain connected even in separation. And it may indeed seem repetetive while you're watching the film. Lots of similar conversations, lots of farm work, laying in the grass, experiencing the hatred of the villagers or the horror of imprisonment. But I think that repetetiveness has a point and the cumulative effect of it is ultimately very rewarding. You do end up feeling like you've experienced their lives without any artificial plot devices. It's all about the feelings and emotions and of course the spirituality. And all of that is powerfully presented. Once again Malick portrays God in nature and the power of His presence is palpable, especially when the character spends so much time wrestling with his own convictions and whether they're worth abandoning his family. Malick seems to say that it would be a miracle if everybody stuck to their convictions as long as they're with the force of goodness but the reality is such that very few are capable of that. And the sacrifice of that is immense.
Sometimes the film feels like it could've used some trimming down but overall I thought the experience was pretty powerful. Beautiful music, very good photography, strong central performances - all that is very much on display here too.
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Pasquale
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Post by Pasquale on Jun 27, 2020 13:41:13 GMT
Death depicted in this film, decapitated my soul.
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Post by Martin Stett on Aug 16, 2020 4:46:23 GMT
Everyone is going on about how this movie is too long, but... why would you ever want to leave? What would you cut to make it "faster paced?" The movie is perhaps a tad repetitive, but as Jango said, that is part of the appeal: It gets you into the lives of these characters without forced plot points. It takes what, two hours before Franz actually refuses to take the oath? But before that, we are waiting, dreading, praying that he won't be called up, that he won't *need* to make a stand.
Malick's signature style is used to better effect here than any other time in his career. For he finally has a proper narrative to pin it on. No free association imagery like The Tree of Life, no grab bag of anonymous characters like The Thin Red Line. He can show the beauty of God's creation and man's place in it, showing what Franz is losing by standing in the gap, braver than any soldier. There are stakes to what Malick creates, which is sadly lacking in his most well received films.
There is one complaint I have, and Tommen nailed it. Franz is sinless. Fanni is far more interesting, for she doesn't have to face losing her life. Just constant, daily hatred and abuse. Franz has it easier, in a way. The world hates Fanni and invents new ways to torment her each day, but it just condemns Franz to the system and lets things take their course.
Still, this is the best outright Christian religious movie since... uh... what, Ben-Hur?
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