I went in to this film with few expectations, other than that it would probably be very slow moving, and while I was right there, I was still hugely impressed with both the craft and content of this movie.
Of Gods and Men focuses on a small group of French monks who live in a monastery in a small village in Algeria in the 1990s. Their neighbours are Muslim, yet they share a symbiotic relationship with the Brothers, who provide health care in return for being welcomed into the community. They do not preach or attempt to convert the locals, they simply live their simple lives as examples and exemplars of their faith.
This film is set during a time of trouble in the region, as Islamists have started a conflict with the government, and are roaming the countryside, terrorizing locals and executing foreigners. This, obviously, makes the monks nervous, and they hold many lengthy discussions about what they should do. When a group of men arrive one evening to take medical supplies, Brother Christian, the leader of the Brothers, firmly resists them and earns their respect. The message is clear though, that the men (the youngest looks to be in his late thirties or early forties) are in a very precarious position.
What makes this film work so well is the quiet dignity of the actors who play the different monks (there are nine in total, but for most of the movie, there are only eight). These are some very old men, and they convey much through their declining physicality. It becomes easy to love these men, with their quiet resistance to both rebels and government alike, and their devotion to both their god and their neighbours, who have always lived in the shadow of the monastery. Perhaps the most moving scene, for me, was when a couple of the Brothers were explaining to some of the locals that they are like birds, who never know when they will leave a branch, and a woman responded that they were wrong; that the monks are the branch which provides a firm footing for the villagers.
No comments:
Post a Comment