Of Gods And Men
On first round, I didn’t give this film a fair go. Not that the movie, itself, was boring or awful; more like my mind was. Distraction, it hits you every now and then when watching a movie. Especially at home when you are belligerently swamped with emails from people who can’t give you a day off. Usually, I am set time aside and engross myself with a film. This time around, I couldn’t. But when it was over, I immediately realised what had happened, that I hadn’t paid attention. That nagging sensation it me; “you need to really watch this. You’ve just missed something important.”
So I did. And with that in mind, I urge you all. You really need to watch this, or you’ll miss something important.
Of Gods And Men (Des homme et des dieux) is the true story of nine Trappist monks who lived in a little village of Algeria; striking up wonderful relationships with the villagers and the Muslim community. However, tensions are mounting in the country and a group of extremists are killing Europeans without a second thought. As the fear for the monks mounts and the government urges them to be protected by the military; the nine of them, led by Christian, are forced into a decision. Do they stay and complete their work which may result in their execution? Or do they abandon their flock?
The first thing that anyone should mention about this movie is the importance of its message. Without being overtly preachy, there is a clear line in it; extremism is not Islam and Christianity is love. It reminds us that no matter what sect or belief you choose to follow, fundamentally faith is about love, belief, forgiveness and helping each other. The focal monk is Christian who tried to unite both Christianity and Muslim. By no means, did he or the other monks offer segregation and hate to their fellow man because they believe there is a different path. Despite the eventual death of seven of these monks, not one iota of this film should leave you with that nasty hate.
Based on a true story means a lot needs to be done to truly convey characters and their situation. The acting here is phenomenal. Layering the nine men with decisions and consequences that they debilitate over is astonishing as we can see that that even men of the cloth have this utterly human choices to make and feelings to uncover. Lead by Lambert Wilson, the cast encompass this struggle of faith while not over playing their roles. The iconic scene here is a “last supper” of sorts where the monks, accepting their faith, enjoy wine and music for the first time. Their comlete wonderment that soon divulges into sorrow is tearful and subtle. And I dare you to
This French film was released in 2011 while the real tale happened in 1996. I implore you to seek out both. Of Gods And Men is quiet but full of impact as well as being completely beautiful. The importance here is that everyone, in the eyes of God, is beautiful. And while these saint like men were mourned throughout the world, especially in the French community; they never saw themselves as anything but people, giving themselves to a greater love.
TTFN
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