movie commentary: Of Gods and Men

The 2010 French movie Of Gods andMen is the story of Trappist monks living in a remote village in Algeria during the Algerian civil war of 1990. When Islamic fundamentalist insurgents commit violent murder of French businessmen near them, the monks consider whether they should stay and live with the immediate threat of their own deaths or depart Algeria.  This film depicts beautifully the daily lives of the monks, their discussions, contemplations and prayers, between and amongst themselves and with representatives of the Muslim community in which they live and serve.  With the exception of one extremely violent scene of a throat slashing, when the insurgents murder a French businessman, the violence is not graphic.  The beauty of the film, both in its music and cinematography, far outweigh the graphic horror of that attack.  In this movie the terror is sublimated by something like an immersion in the experience of the monks themselves, and while it is tragic and sad, it is above all a depiction of what it can mean to live a contemplative, spiritual life in a world run amok with vengeance and violence.  Based on The Monks of Tibhirine; Faith, Love and Terror in Algeria by John W. Kiser. Screenwriter Etienne Comar; Producer Xavier Beauvois. Actor Lambert Wilson.