A Hidden Life
Austrian farmer Franz Jägerstätter faces the threat of execution for refusing to fight for the Nazis during World War II.
The film disappointed at the box office against its modest budget of $9.0M, earning $4.6M globally (-48% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its distinctive approach within the history genre.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
A Hidden Life (2019) exemplifies precise story structure, characteristic of Terrence Malick's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 53 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.7, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Franz Jägerstätter
Franziska "Fani" Jägerstätter
Rosalia Jägerstätter
Mayor Kraus
Father Fürthauer
Bishop Fliesser
Defense Attorney Feldmann
Main Cast & Characters
Franz Jägerstätter
Played by August Diehl
Austrian farmer who refuses to fight for the Nazis due to his Catholic faith and moral convictions, facing imprisonment and execution.
Franziska "Fani" Jägerstätter
Played by Valerie Pachner
Franz's devoted wife who supports his moral stand despite facing isolation and hardship from their community.
Rosalia Jägerstätter
Played by Karin Neuhäuser
Franz's mother who struggles to understand her son's refusal to serve and fears for the family's survival.
Mayor Kraus
Played by Karl Markovics
Local mayor who pressures Franz to conform and serve the Reich, representing civic authority.
Father Fürthauer
Played by Tobias Moretti
Parish priest who advises Franz to conform for his family's sake, prioritizing survival over moral resistance.
Bishop Fliesser
Played by Michael Nyqvist
Church bishop who tells Franz his sacrifice is meaningless and no one will know of his stand.
Defense Attorney Feldmann
Played by Ulrich Matthes
Court-appointed lawyer who genuinely tries to save Franz's life by encouraging him to sign the oath.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Franz and Fani live an idyllic life farming in the Austrian Alps of St. Radegund, working the land together in harmony with nature and their close-knit village community.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 20 minutes when Franz receives his military conscription notice from the Nazi regime, requiring him to serve in the Wehrmacht. This intrudes upon their peaceful existence and forces Franz to confront his conscience.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 42 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Franz makes the conscious decision to refuse the oath of allegiance to Hitler when called back to service. He tells Fani he cannot swear loyalty to evil, choosing moral principle over safety., moving from reaction to action.
At 87 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Franz is arrested and taken from his family. This is a false defeat—though captured, his spiritual resolve is clarified. The stakes are now life and death, and there is no turning back from his choice., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 130 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Franz is sentenced to death by guillotine. The chaplain tells him no one will remember his stand, that his death will change nothing. This is his "whiff of death"—literal death sentence and the suggestion that his sacrifice is futile., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 139 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Franz receives a final visit from the prison chaplain who, moved by Franz's faith, blesses him and affirms that his witness matters to God even if hidden from history. Franz achieves spiritual clarity and peace with his choice., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
A Hidden Life's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping A Hidden Life against these established plot points, we can identify how Terrence Malick utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish A Hidden Life within the history genre.
Terrence Malick's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Terrence Malick films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. A Hidden Life represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Terrence Malick filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional history films include Operation Finale, The Importance of Being Earnest and Tora! Tora! Tora!. For more Terrence Malick analyses, see The New World, The Tree of Life and The Thin Red Line.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Franz and Fani live an idyllic life farming in the Austrian Alps of St. Radegund, working the land together in harmony with nature and their close-knit village community.
Theme
A villager or visiting priest suggests that a man must do his duty to his country and that individual conscience must bend to the greater good—foreshadowing Franz's moral dilemma.
Worldbuilding
Extended portrayal of Franz and Fani's pastoral life: harvesting, caring for their daughters, attending church, and living in spiritual harmony. The village celebrates traditional festivals, but news of Hitler's rise begins filtering in through newsreels.
Disruption
Franz receives his military conscription notice from the Nazi regime, requiring him to serve in the Wehrmacht. This intrudes upon their peaceful existence and forces Franz to confront his conscience.
Resistance
Franz completes initial basic training and returns home troubled. He discusses with Fani his growing conviction that the Nazi cause is evil. The village priest and mayor pressure him to conform, while Fani supports his conscience despite her fears.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Franz makes the conscious decision to refuse the oath of allegiance to Hitler when called back to service. He tells Fani he cannot swear loyalty to evil, choosing moral principle over safety.
Mirror World
Franz's deepening relationship with Fani becomes his mirror world—she embodies sacrificial love and shared conviction. Their bond strengthens as they face ostracism together, representing the theme of love transcending worldly power.
Premise
Franz lives out his refusal: village neighbors turn against the family, calling them traitors. Fani and the children are harassed. Franz works the farm while awaiting the inevitable. Their love sustains them through increasing isolation and persecution.
Midpoint
Franz is arrested and taken from his family. This is a false defeat—though captured, his spiritual resolve is clarified. The stakes are now life and death, and there is no turning back from his choice.
Opposition
Franz endures imprisonment in Enns, then Berlin—interrogations, beatings, solitary confinement. Nazi officials, lawyers, and even a sympathetic chaplain urge him to sign the oath, insisting his sacrifice is meaningless. Fani visits and they reaffirm their love despite despair.
Collapse
Franz is sentenced to death by guillotine. The chaplain tells him no one will remember his stand, that his death will change nothing. This is his "whiff of death"—literal death sentence and the suggestion that his sacrifice is futile.
Crisis
Franz spends his final days in a cell, wrestling with doubt and fear. He writes letters to Fani, processing whether his stand has meaning. He confronts the darkness of isolation and the temptation to recant.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Franz receives a final visit from the prison chaplain who, moved by Franz's faith, blesses him and affirms that his witness matters to God even if hidden from history. Franz achieves spiritual clarity and peace with his choice.
Synthesis
Franz walks to his execution with dignity and serenity. His martyrdom is intercut with images of Fani continuing their life on the farm with their daughters, carrying forward his legacy of conscience. The film reveals their lives as a hidden act of resistance.
Transformation
Final images mirror the opening: Fani working the same Alpine fields, now alone but spiritually united with Franz. Their hidden life of faithfulness has become eternal, transformed from worldly defeat to spiritual victory. George Eliot's quote affirms that hidden acts of goodness shape the world.