Get lost in the trailer for Terrence Malick's gorgeous World War II drama A Hidden Life

While we praised aspects of the film, we wrote in our Cannes review that it “doesn’t operate all that differently than [Malick’s] recent, unscripted work,” which is unfortunate since his latter-day penchant for roving cameras and “near-constant, fluttering montage” may be “an insufficient approach to this true story of moral defiance, however closely its details dovetail with the director’s interests.”

Still, as the trailer makes clear, Malick’s vision is a sumptuous one, and he captures the village of St. Radegund in all its majesty. Consider it a sign that Malick’s director of photographer for A Hidden Life, Jörg Widmer, is as up to the task as longtime Malick collaborator Emmanuel Lubezki.

Here’s a synopsis:

Based on real events, from visionary writer-director Terrence Malick, A Hidden Life is the story of an unsung hero, Franz Jägerstätter, who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II. When the Austrian peasant farmer is faced with the threat of execution for treason, it is his unwavering faith and his love for his wife Fani and children that keeps his spirit alive.

Per the trailer, the film will hit theaters in December.