Of Gods and Men

A few months ago our son was in Philadelphia with a couple of his buddies and they decided to stop and see Of Gods and Men before returning home. He raved about the movie and insisted we go to see it as a family. It would only be available on Mothers’ Day so we set the idea aside until we made definite plans.

All of us forgot about it until Mother’s Day when Terri brought it up after breakfast. After she convinced us that she really wanted to spend part of “her” day ( actually, she told us this year that we celebrate “Mothers’ Day Weekend” ) in the theater, we went to see it.

Wow! We were glad we saw it!

NOTE: The film is based on real life events, but I’ll warn you anyway – the next four paragraphs are free of spoilers, but after that I give away something you would already know if you know the real life story.

Of Gods and Men is inspired by The Monks of Tibhirine, a heart-wrenching tale of French monks serving a Muslim community in Algeria ( my review ). The book’s author argues the monks were kidnapped by Islamic terrorists “Not because they were Christians, but because they refused to leave their Muslim friends” and the film conveys this message brilliantly. Each of the monks has his own struggle with the decision to leave or to stay and serve.

The film is a little slow but doesn’t feel tedious. The director could have easily resorted to one or two scenes to portray the monk’s minimalist existence, but that would have felt like sheer boredom to most of us. Instead, we learn by watching the monks do their chores, worship, and fellowship in small bits throughout film.

The cinematography is fantastic throughout and the performances are world class. I’m not a student of French film, but I’ve learned now that this was an “all star” cast for a French film. I am not surprised.

If you have any interest in faith, Christianity, Islam, the specific real-life events depicted in this film, or the meaning of life – you should see this film.

The film raises many questions, both spiritual and political, but doesn’t explore them all. The viewer is left to sort out the answers. The biggest question by far is “did they do the right thing by staying?” Like most people I think, I left the theater supporting their decision to stay. As I thought about the options afterward, I thought things like “Wouldn’t the monks have done more good for more people if they had gone?”

Fortunately, I was able to spot the influence of my Western, hyper-productivity, capitalist upbringing and put on the brakes. Is more always better? Is a long life always better than a short one – no matter the quality? I’d like to write more about these questions next week, but I am interested to hear your thoughts on it now if you care to share.

In his review, Roger Ebert claims the monks’ decision to stay was a result of pride. I couldn’t disagree more. What do you think?

BTW, Terri still says this is the best movie she has ever seen – so I guess it turned out to be a nice Mother’s Day Weekend.