Award-Winning ‘Of Gods and Men’ Presents Devotion at Any Cost

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CHICAGO – How many of us can honestly say that we have the level of devotion to anything that we would put our lives at risk to protect it? How many of us can say that when faced with almost certain violence, we would stand up and refuse to run in the other direction for any imaginable reason? The moral and spiritual dilemma at the foundation of Xavier Beauvois’s award-winning “Of Gods and Men” is a fascinating one that drives this complex drama in a way that sears it into memory.

I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.” — Book of Psalms, Psalm 82: 6-7.

The first several shots of the true story of “Of Gods and Men” are purposefully framed from behind as the French monks of this Algerian monastery are introduced not only as nearly one body of motion and prayer but without the personality of facial features. There will be stand-out performances and individual characters, but it is the unity of these men to which the film will constantly return and it’s very subtly introduced in the opening moments without a single word. They are unified through their purpose.

Of Gods and Men
Of Gods and Men
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics

That purpose is defined by the next several scenes, in which a doctor (the fantastic Michael Lonsdale of “Moonraker” and “Day of the Jackal”) delivers not just diagnosis but footwear to a local little girl. The monks are invited to a local coming-of-age ceremony. They are clearly not just liked by the residents of the Algerian town in which they reside but have become an essential part of the community, a rock of stability in an unstable land.

Just how unstable that land is will come to light when a few French workers are killed by invading terrorists and, like so many African and Middle Eastern countries, the area is thrown into disarray. When will the extremists get to the door of the monastery? And will the government protect the monks after they do?

Through a series of rational, fascinating conversations, the monks, led by the emotional Christian (Lambert Wilson of “The Matrix Reloaded”) discuss whether or not to stay or go. And keep in mind that the question of where they would go is an important one. These men left their families, some of them decades ago, to devote their lives to this cause. Where would they run to? And if they did run what would happen to the community around them? It’s an upsetting and yet fascinating dilemma that never feels false. We believe the predicament of these men.

Of Gods and Men
Of Gods and Men
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics

Some may say that “Of Gods and Men” lacks a sense of urgency but it’s there, hidden below the surface, in a way that allows it to resonate days after you’ve seen the film instead of in melodramatic histrionics. I remember little things, like an old man hiding under a bed or another barely able to restrain his emotional outburst at what he believes is his impending martyrdom. The performances, especially those by Lonsdale and Wilson, are incredibly memorable in their restraint. And the entire film becomes something of a poetic elegy to these men without turning them into icons. They always feel like real men, not Gods.

“Of Gods and Men” has won numerous awards, including the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and the Cesar Award for Best Film, the French equivalent of the Oscar. It’s easy to see why. Having said that, while I clearly admired “Of Gods and Men,” it didn’t resonate with me on the level of the films that I consider the best of the year. It’s a bit too studied and reserved for that. It’s memorable without being quite devastating — which is that fine line between a film like this being very good and being great. And I’m not sure I fully understood the moral and emotional conundrum at play. We needed to spend more time before the imminent danger to make it more clear why these men wouldn’t simply take their spiritual foundation to another community that needed it just as badly.

Despite the minor flaws of storytelling, “Of Gods and Men” is a strong piece of filmmaking, the kind that asks important questions and doesn’t so much answer them as present them in a way that perhaps you hadn’t considered before.

“Of Gods and Men” stars Michael Lonsdale and Lambert Wilson. It was written by Xavier Beauvois and Etienne Comar and directed by Beauvois. It is rated PG-13 and opened in Chicago on March 11th, 2011.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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