"A Hidden Life" Debuts a Trailer That Takes Malick Seriously Again

Scene from A Hidden Life

Since Terrence Malick was last seen at The Academy Awards, it looked like he would never be back. It wasn't that he returned to a reclusive state, but that his films became terribly niche, working more as experimental tone poems than great art. While Knight of Cups and To the Wonder have their fans, they definitely couldn't compare to his 2011 masterpiece The Tree of Life. Many have since written him off, wondering if his glory days were truly gone. For those who choose to still believe, A Hidden Life's early buzz has been relatively positive, reflecting the return of a cinematic auteur to his roots. Considering that, much like The Thin Red Line, he's back to World War II and finding the humanity in the violence. The first trailer is something we've come to expect from Malick, but this time it feels a bit more special knowing that it's attached to his best work in eight years.

In the 2010s, it's a bit hard to really understand the mystique around Malick. The director who once took almost two decades off from filmmaking has been fairly prolific following The Tree of Life. The 2011 film was a magnificent return that has left many in awe, creating a piece of art that is inimitable to the point of a Best Picture nomination. Sure, many have borrowed his style, but many find him to be a singular force of nature. While this is true of To the Wonder, Knight of Cups, and Song to Song, they have come to appeal to niche audiences instead of the wider audiences that greeted him. He wasn't bad, but his work just lacked an appeal that was worth keeping up with.

It's what has made the build-up to A Hidden Life a lot more exciting. This isn't just another film that feels made on the fly to reflect whatever was on Malick's mind that day. This is a return to history and something more integral as to what made him matter. He was finding something within humanity that mattered and was worth telling a story about. He wouldn't just wander through nature, adding spiritual voice-over for the sake of spiritual voice-over. Now everything was going to matter and add to the bigger picture. The early buzz has given a lot of anticipation that audiences wouldn't be disappointed this time. It was a project that actually had thought put into it.

Check out the trailer below:

It looks rather touching. Here's the plot description according to IMDb:

The Austrian Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector, refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War II.

It's a story that fits Malick's ethos. Even in The Thin Red Line with all of its violence, he found opportunities to pull back and find the humanity within the war. It's one of the most powerful experiences that he ever put to film and helped to define the modern era of his work. It was an epic that was self-reflexive in the best ways possible. Maybe with A Hidden Life he will find a new angle to explore how we need to bring out the best in each other and not give in to temptations of evil. While it's still difficult to argue who would deserve an Oscar nomination from the group, it's easy to say that if this film is as good as they say, it may put Malick into the Oscar conversation for the first time in eight years.

In the grand scheme of things, Malick's legacy is undeniable. He definitely has earned his place among cinema's greatest, most original talents. There have been few that have matched his style It's just hard to remember that when looking at his recent work, which has been iffy at best. With his latest, he may be getting back into form. After all, he's admitted publicly that he's done with the experimental phase of the past few years. He wants to get serious again. That may mean that he's going to be hiding out more often, only emerging for a few major projects. With that said, it's great to know that he still has something important to say. The trailer looks beautiful and the story sounds compelling. Let's just hope he doesn't screw this one up.