A Hidden Life

Austrian peasant farmer Franz Jägerstätter, born and brought up in the small village of St. Radegund, is working his land when war breaks out. Married to Franziska, colloquially Fani, the couple are important members of the tight-knit rural community. They live a simple life with the passing years marked by the arrival of the couple's three girls. Franz is called up for basic training in the German army and is away from his beloved wife and children for months. Eventually, when France surrenders and it seems the war might end soon, he is sent back from training. With his mother and sister-in-law Resie, he and his wife farm the land and raise their children amid the mountains and valleys of upper Austria, cutting hay and gathering. Franz is taken to prison, first in Enns, then in Berlin and waits months for his trial. His wife Fani writes letters to him, giving him strength. Fani and their daughters are victims of growing hostility in the village over her husband's decision not to fight. Franz is eventually able to visit his wife in Berlin. After months of brutal incarceration, Jägerstätter's case goes to trial. He is found guilty and sentenced to death. Despite many opportunities to sign the oath of allegiance, he continues to refuse and is executed by the Third Reich on August 9, 1943, while his wife and daughters survive.