'Remarkable' period drama about 'agonising' war story hailed 'one of the best'

Fans of war and romance films are being urged to watch a 2019 film that featured final performances from Michael Nyqvist and Bruno Ganz.

The film tells the true story of an Austrian farmer and devout Catholic who refused to fight for the Nazis during the Second World War.

It received critical acclaim upon its initial release and won two awards at the Cannes Film Festival.

The film in question is A Hidden Life, which is streaming on Disney Plus, and it depicts the life of Franz Jägerstätter (played by August Diehl).

Franz was a conscientious objector during the war and was executed for his refusal to fight for Nazi Germany.

The film has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 82%, with fans hailing it "remarkable".

Robert S said: "Beautifully shot and based on a true story, A Hidden Life is a remarkable, timely film about the courage it takes to stand against fascism and man's inhumanity to humanity."

Pat G added: "One of the most powerful movies I've ever seen. Highly recommend to everyone."

Roger Egbert said the film was "one of the year's best and most distinctive movies".

He called it "a film that puts us deep inside of a situation and examines it in human terms, rather than treating it a set of easy prompts for feeling morally superior to some of the vilest people in history".

The critic added: "What's important here is not just what happened, but what the hero and his loved ones were feeling while it happened, and the questions they were thinking and arguing about as time marched on."

In the film, with his mother and sister-in-law Resie, Franz and his wife dedicate their lives to farming while raising their children.

As the war goes on, he and the other able-bodied men in the village are called up to fight.

Their first requirement is to swear an oath of allegiance to Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich, yet despite pressure from the mayor and his neighbours, he refuses.

Despite many opportunities to sign the oath of allegiance and the promise of non-combatant work, he continued to stand his ground.

A Hidden Life is on Disney Plus