Week 7: Of Gods and Men
Thursday 4th
France, 2010, Dir: Xavier Beauvois, Running Time: 122 mins
Starring: Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale and Olivier Rabourdin
In 1996, during the Algerian Civil War, 7 French Trappist monks from the monastery of Tibhirine were kidnapped and assassinated by extremists, despite living in harmony with the local Muslim villagers.
Of Gods and Men follows a mostly harmonious and peaceful existence between the monks and the local villagers as they lead a simple life of worship whilst providing medical assistance for the locals. However, as the extremist’s grasp of the country spreads and the Algerian Government decays, the monks situation soon becomes all the more dangerous as confrontations with both cause the monks to fear for their safety.
Of Gods and Men is a very humble film, never judging the actions or decisions of key characters, choosing to focus on the raw emotions of the 9 monks of the monastery rather than commentating on the political context. It is handled with the upmost respect for the characters, and the performances of all the monks are beautifully understated. Of particular note is Lambert Wilson’s performance as the prior Christian, who as the head of the monastery often finds himself in trying situations, whether confronting extremists, government officials or even tending to his brothers in the monastery. His performance is profoundly simple, making his character all that more believable.
A deserved winner of the Grand Prix at the 2010 Cannes film Festival, Of Gods and Men had a rather small release over in the UK, despite being a commercial and critical success in France, and thus drifted under the radar of most. It is a truly inspiring film, beautifully crafted by director Beauvois and brought to life by a stunning collective performance.
Mathew Seccombe