World War II · Film · 2019
A Hidden Life
An Austrian farmer in a mountain village refuses to swear allegiance to Hitler, and his quiet no costs him his neighbors, his freedom and, perhaps, his life.
Where it happened
Follow the story across 4 places.
Stop 1: St. Radegund, Upper Austria
Key location
Franz and Fani farm the steep fields with their daughters until his refusal turns the mayor, the priest and the neighbors against them.
Stop 2: Enns barracks
Reporting for duty, Franz refuses to swear the oath to Hitler and is taken away in handcuffs.
Stop 3: Tegel prison, Berlin
In a Berlin cell, beaten and offered easy ways out, Franz waits months for trial while Fani's letters keep him going.
Stop 4: Brandenburg-Görden prison
Still refusing the oath, Franz is taken to the prison where the sentence will be carried out.
What really happened
Franz Jägerstätter was a farmer and sexton in St. Radegund, a village in Upper Austria near the German border. A devout Catholic, he was reportedly the only person in his village to vote against the annexation of Austria in April 1938, and he came to see service in Hitler's war as incompatible with his faith.
Called up in February 1943, he reported to the barracks at Enns and refused to take the oath. He was held in Linz and Berlin-Tegel, sentenced to death by the Reich Military Court on 6 July 1943 and beheaded at Brandenburg-Görden prison on 9 August. The Catholic Church beatified him in 2007. Terrence Malick's film draws heavily on the couple's letters.
Where to watch
Checking streaming services…
Full details
- Original title
- A Hidden Life
- Directed by
- Terrence Malick
- Countries
- United States, Germany
- Languages
- English, German
- Released
- 2019
- Period
- –
- Theaters of war
- Western Europe
- Themes
- Biography
- True story
- Home front
