Movie Review: Of Gods And Men

The monks' methods of dealing with crises are thought-provoking. Photo / Supplied

The 2010 winner of the Grand Prix, Cannes' no 2 award, this haunting and masterful French film was inspired by the slaughter, by Islamist terrorists, of seven French Trappist monks near their monastery in Algeria.

But it is not an attempt at docudrama: scriptwriter Etienne Comar did not interview the two survivors of the 1996 massacre - which is never shown - but rather used the events as the basis for an intelligent and deeply moving meditation on the nature of faith in time of crisis and the wisdom of non-resistance in the face of extremist violence.

It is in that spirit that the guerrillas are shown only in passing. They may be the villains of the piece but they are not its subject, as they would have been in a geopolitical thriller. Their advance is a largely unseen menace while the film maintains a steady focus on the monks - led by Christian (Wilson) - as they go through the process of deciding whether to accept army offers of evacuation.

As a result, the audience is drawn deeply into the monks' world by way of the rhythms and rituals of their daily lives: we watch them mop floors, tend their gardens, make honey. Their methodical order contrasts with the chaos outside the walls and the threat of violence further afield. We see the small acts of kindness - including running a weekly medical clinic - they bestow on the locals. And we are with them as they pray; indeed their chanting gives
the film chapter divisions and the audience moments for contemplation so that form and content become one.

This is not to say that the characters ooze a goody-two-shoes sanctity: doubt and anguish are keynotes. But the film's controlled pace reflects the controlled process by which they attend to crises of faith.

The viewer unaccustomed to the contemplative life may be exasperated at the way the story unfolds. The conventions of movie-watching, as old as entertainment, require that we implore imperilled and virtuous characters to flee encroaching menace. But Of Gods and Men - intriguingly, the French title translates to Of Men and Gods - urges a different approach and in the process, particularly in the unforgettable final scene, achieves something approaching
transcendence.

Stars: 4.5/5
Cast: Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale, Olivier Rabourdin
Director: Xavier Beauvois
Running time: 120 mins
Rating: M (some content may disturb) In French and Arabic with English subtitles
Verdict: Transcendent and hauntingly beautiful

- TimeOut