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Written by: Terrence Malick
Directed by: Terrence Malick
Starring: August Diehl, Valerie Pachner, Maria Simon, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Nyqvist
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
Austrian Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector, refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War II.
Verdict
Malick films are an experience, a fusion of emotion, music, and images. His films aren't for everyone as they aren't typical movies. The plot isn't straightforward, and the dialog doesn't hold your hand. As with all of his films, this looks amazing and feels like art. This movie is like a memory from an individual recounting experiences, feelings, and memories.
This will not be for everyone, but you need to see at least one Malick movie, and this is one of the easier examples to digest.
Watch it.
Review
The first Malick film I saw was A New World, and I didn't like it. After watching Malick's A Thin Red Line and enjoying that, I went back to A New World. I fell in love with the movie. All of Malick's movies are esoteric, works of art that are part documentary and a rumination on feelings rather than action and a plot. A New World changed what a movie could be by challenging expectations. The characters exist and feel, they don't have to do anything, save anyone, or escape trouble. Malick's movies are a film class movie, something to study and dissect. The average person isn't watching a movie for artistic flourish and expression. His movies don't hold your hand and follow cookie cutter progression that movies have made us expect. His movies evoke emotion and feelings, even if it's at the expense of plot. It captures stream of consciousness.
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| August Diehl plays Franz. |
This movie is definitely more accessible and has a clearer plot than Knight of Cups, but the style is still present. Knight of Cups was a man walking for two hours. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to get out of it.
Franz refuses to fight for the Nazis and receives grief from his small village. No one understands why he refuses to fight, seeing it as easier to just go along with it. Franz will not take an oath to Hitler.
The cruelty of the small village is both passive and aggressive. People do and believe what they're told. Those that think for themselves are punished. It's a microcosm of the world.
The lack of dialog is hallmark of Malick's films, but that gives you a chance to connect to the characters and imagine their thoughts. Many scenes are images with a voice over. It's more thoughts and ruminations than a traditional plot. The movie plays on images, associations, and metaphors. No one makes a movie like Malick. Then again most people wouldn't get the chance. Malick's name alone gives this style credence. That doesn't negate the merit of the movie, but a studio would never give a movie like this a chance if the director wasn't already established.
Some movies teach you about the world or a world, some are just entertainment and visual entertainment. Malick's movies capture a feeling, and this one shows us what it's like to be trapped, punished, and hopeless. It doesn't show us how difficult Franz's imprisonment is, but delves into his good memories of before. He'll can no longer create new memories with his family.
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