I said, 'You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.
(Mildly Recommended) Based on a true story, Xavier Beauvois' Of Gods and Men, tell the disturbing account of eight Christian monks living their pacifist beliefs while struggling to surmount the violence that surrounds their monastery. As the war around them heightens, they must decide to stay in Algeria with their devoted villagers or escape to France for their own safety. It is their continual debate of conscience that is the core of the film, especially when these holy men are confronted with Islamic extremists and an unforgiving army.
Two of the film's central characters are Brother Christian ( Lambert Wilson ), the stoic leader of this men and guiding force and Brother Luc ( Michael Lonsdale ), the monastery's aging and wise doctor who tends to the sick and infirmed in this Muslim area. These fine actors bring a solemn and commanding presence to their roles. Some of the other monks come off a bit too pious or saintly due to the nature of the script and the dire situation.
Of Gods and Men is far too leisurely paced. The director seems to be overly caught up in the monks' ritualistic lives, which, quite honestly is a bit of a bore. A clearer focus of the political turmoil engulfing the community is needed with more emphasis on the unrest and the monks' direct reaction to it rather than countless extensive scenes of worship and prayer. Much of the film, in fact, too much of the film becomes steeped in religious ideology and sanctimonious moralizing. The film becomes preachy and self-righteous. ( I was left asking myself if the monks' final decisions was indeed the right one, which might be my own religious bias coming into play. When dealing with the subject of religious zealots, I wondered if both factions, those being the Catholic priests and the Islamic terrorists, were extremists in their own right, which I am sure was not the filmmakers intent. )
Yet, the film's last half hour remains moving and unsettling. Beauvois' use of the music from Swan Lake is an effective counterpoint to the intense facial expressions by the cast of actors as they contemplated their characters' fates. The film's final image, a wintry scene of the monks marching into the forest only to disappear from view is quite hypnotic and touching. Were only the rest of Of Gods and Men that powerful! Do I hear an amen, brother? GRADE: B-
- Psalm 82
(Mildly Recommended) Based on a true story, Xavier Beauvois' Of Gods and Men, tell the disturbing account of eight Christian monks living their pacifist beliefs while struggling to surmount the violence that surrounds their monastery. As the war around them heightens, they must decide to stay in Algeria with their devoted villagers or escape to France for their own safety. It is their continual debate of conscience that is the core of the film, especially when these holy men are confronted with Islamic extremists and an unforgiving army.
Two of the film's central characters are Brother Christian ( Lambert Wilson ), the stoic leader of this men and guiding force and Brother Luc ( Michael Lonsdale ), the monastery's aging and wise doctor who tends to the sick and infirmed in this Muslim area. These fine actors bring a solemn and commanding presence to their roles. Some of the other monks come off a bit too pious or saintly due to the nature of the script and the dire situation.
Of Gods and Men is far too leisurely paced. The director seems to be overly caught up in the monks' ritualistic lives, which, quite honestly is a bit of a bore. A clearer focus of the political turmoil engulfing the community is needed with more emphasis on the unrest and the monks' direct reaction to it rather than countless extensive scenes of worship and prayer. Much of the film, in fact, too much of the film becomes steeped in religious ideology and sanctimonious moralizing. The film becomes preachy and self-righteous. ( I was left asking myself if the monks' final decisions was indeed the right one, which might be my own religious bias coming into play. When dealing with the subject of religious zealots, I wondered if both factions, those being the Catholic priests and the Islamic terrorists, were extremists in their own right, which I am sure was not the filmmakers intent. )
Yet, the film's last half hour remains moving and unsettling. Beauvois' use of the music from Swan Lake is an effective counterpoint to the intense facial expressions by the cast of actors as they contemplated their characters' fates. The film's final image, a wintry scene of the monks marching into the forest only to disappear from view is quite hypnotic and touching. Were only the rest of Of Gods and Men that powerful! Do I hear an amen, brother? GRADE: B-