"A Hidden Life" tells the story of Franz Jägerstätter, a farmer from the Upper Austrian village of St. Radegund, and his wife Franziska ("Fani"). They ran a farm together and were supported by a few helpers who lived with them.
In 1940, Franz and another villager named Waldland were called up to a military base to prepare for war. However, Franz refuses to swear the oath of allegiance to Adolf Hitler and support the war effort. He seeks advice from Pastor Fürthauer, but he offers him no support, as the church has already made itself complicit. Bishop Fliesser also rejects Franz's request for support.
Franz's open rejection of the Nazi regime leads to even friends and neighbors turning against him and his family. The neighbors begin to harass his family by throwing dirt at his daughters and spitting at Fani in the street. Despite torture, he remains steadfast and continues to refuse to swear allegiance to Hitler. Because of his convictions, he is sentenced to death and finally executed.The film, in which August Diehl plays the role of Franz Jägerstätter and Valerie Pachner plays the role of his wife Fani, is based on the biography "Er folgte sein Gewissen. The Lonely Testimony of Franz Jägerstätter" by Gordon Zahn. In "A Hidden Life", director Terrence Malick sheds light on the ethical and moral conflicts of a man who stood up for his convictions and his belief in humanity until his last breath.