Thursday, December 9, 2010

Of Gods and Men (2010)


Of Gods and Men / Des hommes et des dieux (2010)

Genre: Drama
Director: Xavier Beauvois
Starring: Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale, Olivier Rabourdin, Philippe Laudenbach
Duration: 122 min.
Rating: 7.7/10

Summary:
In the 1990s, eight Trappist monks live in harmony with their Muslim brothers at a monastery set high in the mountains of North Africa.  When a team of foreign workers is massacred by an Islamist group, the region is seized by terror.  The army offers protection to the monks, but they refuse.  Despite the growing threats around them, the monks decide that they must stay, whatever the cost...


IMDB


Of Gods and Men by Xavier Beauvois, winner of the Grand Prix at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, and also France's official submission to the 83rd Academy Awards.  Based on actual events, the film paints a vivid portrait of monastic life and the power of faith.  Veteran French actors with English names, Lambert Wilson and Michael Lonsdale deliver wonderful performances as monks faced with the ultimate dilemma.








  

9 comments:

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I totally agree. It was a beautiful portrayal of slow monastic life, making the events even more powerful and horrifying.

Wildboar607 said...

This movie reminded me of Gone In Sixty Seconds.

NeverTooEarlyMP said...

I'm late writing in about this one, but I did see it earlier this year. At first I felt tricked because the trailer made it look like there would be a bit more action, but now that I've had some time to think about it I kind of like the way they do it. They really showed them as monks, and portrayed the contemplative life quite well, with the action sequences feeling like the disruptions that they were. I also like how we saw them struggling with ethical concerns and trying to decide what to do.

Adalmin said...

MONKS! I don't know why, but life in the cloisters has always been one of my favorite things to learn about. This sounds super interesting and different from the usual monk movies (that inevitably end up being about Satan for some reason)!

The Angry Vegetarian said...

That sounds very good! And unlike Smile I like that it's French since I'm trying to learn it. Plus out of all the foreign films (to an American like myself) I've always been partial to French. They all seem so beautiful. So many wonderful directors there.

Willow said...

I can only deal with so many foreign films at once! lol

Smile said...

The title i like, but the fact it's French...not so much

stoneycase said...

trappist monks are the best, because they make a killer beer/barleywine :) looks like a good film though, good find. keep 'em coming!

das auto! said...

sounds like a good movie to watch on a sunday or something, might check it out

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