Movie Review: Of Gods and Men (Des Hommes et des Dieux)
Tonight, at the recommendation of one of my DTS colleagues, I watched the film, Of Gods and Men.
The film receives its name from the verse in Psalms which says “Ye are gods and children of the Most High, but ye shall die like men” (86:2). The movie opens with this reference, which serves as a fitting introduction.
This is a true story of nine French Trappist monks (a sect of the Benedictines) assigned to a monastery in the Algerian mountains. The monks get caught in the tension between the army and terrorists when, during the 1996 Algerian Civil War, the latter try to overthrow the government. Because these men of God render medical aid to one of the terrorists (as they would anyone) on Christmas Eve, the rebel leader provides some protection—as long as he lives. But of course, he’s not living in a way that would qualify him for life insurance.
Remaining true to their calling, these Christians whose lives exemplify quietude continue to provide medical aid, moral presence, and spiritual friendships to the mostly poor Muslim people in the village in which they live. But the men are divided about whether to stay or flee.
Anyone who has ever endured God’s silence or wrestled with doubt will appreciate the treatment this subject receives as a sub-plot. The film also reminds viewers that experiencing great risk and martyrdom didn't just happen in the first century.
Throughout the film, the camera moves slowly, and so does the plot. But in this case that slowness adds to the beauty. The viewer enters into the monks’ experience—decelerating life’s pace, enjoying a symphony, experiencing their silence, savoring a good glass of wine, exchanging smiles and brotherly embraces, and kissing the cross. Subtitles include translation for the sung liturgy, which is full of scriptural references that match these believers’ experiences, whether with the enemy, with faith, or with darkness and dawn and the decision to lose one’s life in order to save it.
The acting is superb. And the performance of Michael Lonsdale, the physician monk, masterful.