It’s always a bit unnerving when a filmmaker takes almost three years in post-production to finish a film. Usually, this sort of long post-production process indicates some sort of problem with the film, and perhaps is foreshadowing an unsatisfying finished product. But with Terrence Malick and his recent Cannes premiere, “A Hidden Life,” that doesn’t seem to be the case, at all. In fact, the buzz surrounding the film reached such a fever pitch after its premiere, Fox Searchlight spent a ton of money just to secure the distribution rights.
According to Deadline, Fox Searchlight spent a reported $12 million to $14 million on Malick’s latest. The Disney-controlled indie/arthouse studio outbid the likes of Netflix, Paramount, Focus, A24, and others, who were also reportedly in hot pursuit of “A Hidden Life.”
For those that have been unaware of “A Hidden Life,” Malick’s film tells the true story of Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector to World War II. The almost-3-hour film follows him and his wife as they deal with the repercussions of his actions during the mid-20th-century. The film stars August Diehl, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Nyqvist, Valerie Pachner, Jurgen Prochnow, Alexander Fehling, and Bruno Ganz.
Many are calling “A Hidden Life” a return-to-form for Malick, who hasn’t had a film this well-received since 2011’s Oscar-nominated “The Tree of Life.” Leading up to Cannes, film fans wondered which Terrence Malick they’d see. Would “A Hidden Life” (formerly “Radegund”) be more in line with his experimental work of recent? Or, as he hinted at, would the film signal a return to more script-focused filmmaking? Apparently, from those who have seen the film, the answer is the latter.
Our review praised Malick’s work. The review states, “Though he’d probably object to the comparison, Malick attains the status of holy creator [with ‘A Hidden Life’], forging his own lush world of suffering and deliverance.”
No word on a release date in North America or the other international territories that Fox Searchlight will release the film. But with the buzz being so good, especially if Malick is able to snag a Cannes Award, we can probably expect the film to later this year, in time for awards season.