Image source: A Hidden Life — a film by Terrence Malick
A word could hold so much power, how much more words that are stringed as an oath to something or to someone.
I have watched a little of movies about the Second World War II, I have read a few biography books where the author spoke little details about the war born from racial hatred. Currently, I am reading A Beautiful Mind, a story about John Forbes Nash Jr. —a Nobel Prize winner. The book was a documentation of his genius, madness, and reawakening. That’s how the book’s prologue was wrapped up, it made me read through the book as it has captured my interest. As I was reading the details of Nash’s life, he too, was one of the great minds that was pulled out to work on anything that could help the Americans and its allies win the war. It led me again to reading and consuming facts about that gruesome history the world has witnessed.
I came across this tantalizing film by Terrence Malick —A Hidden Life. With only a little description about this film, I indulge myself with a three hour long narrative about an Austrian farmer (Franz) who refused to fight for the Nazis. What was the world during the war? What did nations look like? As 1930’s come to end and as 1940’s stretched slowly, the rustic village of Radegund was no exception from the terrors of the springing war. Healthy men —the farmers of Radegund —were called for training to prepare for a war that’s waiting for them. The simple life of Franz and his wife (Fani) was stricken. The tranquil living of their family was put to an anxious-filled living of waiting for Franz’s return from the training.
Having been exposed to the beliefs that gave birth hatred and compelled men with moral conscience to act against their will, Franz had a firm resolve that their words were not something he can put his faith into. He saw injustices and preying on the weak without reason as something he could not conform. In their village where he battled with his resolve of opposing the Nazi regime, Franz responded ‘Heil Hitler’ with ‘Pfui Hitler’. A salute that he turned into an act of opposition just by altering a single word. The village looked at him and saw the consequences of his strong will against the evil that is seating in power.
The film not only portrayed the life of a man holding onto his faith that good triumphs against the evil. Malick was generous with clips and narrations of Hitler during that time. This true to life storyline of the film was made more authentic through the sequences of Hitler’s speeches and parades.
I was taken for a stroll in the vast fields of Radegund, the beauty of farmers’ simple life within the mountains and valleys that hid them from the reality of war. The bountiful harvest of their fields and the harmonious relationship of the villagers were sights in the film that made me long for a life from the old times that is free from the terrors of war. People had so much time to do all sorts of work for living —like milking the cows, cutting hays, and shaving the sheep’s wool. That was the beautiful Radegund, unbeknownst the evil.
War brought great turmoil to the world, nations allied and fought against each other —a collective action of men. Also, war brought great turmoil to the different classes of the society, to small villages, to a family, and to a man (Franz was not just the only one, but he’s one of the many). But what could one life do? What could Franz’s resistance do? What could one’s will change the world? Ironic to these questions is the truth that one’s will against a race set nations to fight against each other on a terrifying war.
The length of the film shows heavily the life of Franz with bound hands, living from one prison cell to another as he await for his trial. In my attempt in learning to speak Deutsch a year ago, what caught my attention was these words, boldly painted on the prison wall. “Sprechen verboten!”. I recognized the word sprechen instantly, meaning speak. When I checked the English translation of these words, its direct translation was “Speak forbidden!”. I assumed that it says Speaking is forbidden. Prisoners were not allowed to speak. Words were not something they can exchange with each other.
Amidst the generous moving pictures of the film, I was being constantly moved by how it uses powerful words. The film was graced with strong and detailed narration of the mundane living of a man with a firm will. Franz strongly defies the swearing of oath of loyalty to Hitler and strongly adheres to the Word of God. Verses from the scripture were from time to time spoken by Franz and Fani in their letters to each other, even with their thoughts. When Franz and Fani were with no one to talk to and waiting for each other’s letters, they uttered prayers. A word could hold so much power. How much more when words are stringed as prayer to God Almighty —the Creator of all good things?
The film left me with loving conversations between a husband and a wife, friends, and families. But there’s this particular parting words of Franz’s friend that I’d like to share…
“Even when it rains, the sun is shining. The sun shines on good and evil, the same.”
