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Of Gods and Men

Of Gods and Men (2010)

March. 25,2011
|
7.2
|
PG-13
| Drama History

French drama based on the 1996 kidnapping and killing of seven monks in Algeria. A group of Trappist monks reside in the monastery of Tibhirine in Algeria, where they live in harmony with the largely muslim population. When a bloody conflict between Algeria's army and Muslim Jihadi insurgents disrupts the peace, they are forced to consider fleeing the monastery and deserting the villagers they have ministered to. In the face of deadly violence the monks wrestle with their faith and their convictions, eventually deciding to stay and help their neighbours keep the army and the insurgents at bay.

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Micransix
2011/03/25

Crappy film

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Invaderbank
2011/03/26

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

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Casey Duggan
2011/03/27

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

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Kaelan Mccaffrey
2011/03/28

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

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young_scholar
2011/03/29

If you say you stayed up late watching a French movie, eyebrows are raised, but the French are capable of producing religious inspirational films as well. Welcome to a French monastery in the Algerian mountains. It supports a little village that depends on the monastery for support. Neither the monastery nor the little village have anything to do with the Civil War raging between purported Islamists and the Algerian government. The movie does not purport to explain the rights and wrongs asserted by either side, although the Prior Bro Christian knows the Koran as well as he knows the Testaments.. After an initial encounter with the Islamists, the monastery falls under the protection of the Islamic chief. Bro Christian's knowledge of the Koran saves the day. The monastery uninvolved in politics renders medical assistance to both sides. Ironically, the Algerian army's killing of the chief local rebel brings down the wrath of the Islamic rebels on the monastery. The monastery's Prior Brother Christian forced to identify the body is prohibited from offering prayer. Just before the reprisal when the blow falls, the monks unanimously vote to stay in Algeria. The scene replicates the Last Supper. The characters and scenes are realistic. The film was shot in an abandoned monastery in Morocco.

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Johan Dondokambey
2011/03/30

Of Gods and Men starts out rather softly and rather reeks out the lonesomeness of the monastery. Then the story builds up well, with repeated moments of heightened tensions and subsequent moments of slow down. That way the story being told can be viewed as one not so scary. In a way, the movie succeeds in telling the story from the perspective of the monks themselves who have surrendered their lives to God long before they meet death. The movie portrays the relationship between the monastery and the surrounding community very nicely, in a way that many fanatics will get disgruntled with. The acting is a nice overall. The aura of stillness is balanced between all the monks, despite the varying levels of fear, tranquility and or anxiety among the characters.

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pbarrins
2011/03/31

This excellent film..A TRUE EVENT is a must for anyone seeking a moral understanding of the Human race..The Monestary.. situated in a troubled area of Algeria during a conflict between the corrupt government and equally corrupt freedom fighters..seems to raise a beacon of hope for goodness within humanity. THE heroes,a group mostly elderly Monks ,who asked for nothing but to tend to the sick of a nearby village.One Monk exhausting himself treating 150 patients a day ..and the medicines they had were always available to all. This included a wounded freedom fighter ..a Muslim extremist... At night there chants and prayers would give them strength to carry out there good works.Most of them had toiled for decades..They are then advised to leave by the Government...However they refuse to desert their flock............. I shall leave it there a great movie for people with a social conscience..enjoy..

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frjacksjmd
2011/04/01

One can react to a film in many ways including: intellectually, viscerally, emotionally, cognitively, spiritually and aesthetically. One's reaction to a particular film is the result of complex interactions of all of the above and the characteristics of the film itself. Certain films are more likely to bring out particular types of reactions. This film works on many levels and will draw out complex and individual responses from each viewer. My responses were heavily influenced by my being a member of Catholic men's religious order that has a long (and ongoing) history or missionary work that, at times, puts our men in danger. This was true in the centuries since our founding and remains true for a number of my friends who are working "undercover" in several countries. I first watched Of Gods and Men with another member of the order who had already seen it but wanted to share the video and the experience with me. We watched on a small not very good TV with wretched sound. But within moments of the opening all of that faded away. When it was over I sat in the dark room stunned. I know several Trappist monks. I admire their lives and occasionally retreat at one of the their monasteries. While their vocation to contemplative monastic life is not my vocation, the bond of being in religious vows allows us to share something fundamental and vital. I was stunned when I read about the killings in Algeria and followed the story closely in the papers. Before watching the film I read the very well-written The Monks of Tibhirine that supplied some back story and biographical information that was not included in the film, a great deal about the history of Islamic fundamentalism in Algeria and much history of the French in Algeria. The scenes during which the men were discerning God's will, both as a community and individually, ring true. The lack of consensus, the bickering, the fear, the acceptance and the gradual movement of the Spirit are the same for all orders when they engage in corporate discernment emerging from each member's individual discernment. Though forewarned by my buddy, the scene of Swan Lake playing in the refectory was emotionally wrenching. The looks on the men's faces as the music swirled and the sense of community returned could never be described in words. I've been as deeply moved and emotionally drained each time I've watched the movie since (about four times since the initial viewing a year ago). Quibbles about the lack of action are absurd. That is not the kind of life we lead as religious. Prayer, Mass, and contemplation (even in an active order) are the backbone of our lives together and as individuals. The combination of the honesty of the portrayals of the men's and the community's spiritual crises along with the sublime cinematography combine to make this an extraordinary film on all levels.

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