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Film: Of Gods And Men
Release date: 11th April 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 121 mins
Director: Xavier Beauvois
Starring: Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale, Olivier Rabourdin, Philippe Laudenbach, Jacques Herlin
Genre: Drama
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: France
A huge critical success, Of Gods And Men tells the story of the French Roman Catholic monks tragically caught up in the Algerian Civil War in the mid-90s. The film is the product of a collaboration between Etienne Comar, a French Catholic who wrote and produced, and director Xavier Beauvois, whose interesting oeuvre thus far includes the dramas Don't Forget You're Going To Die (1995), The Young Lieutenant (2005) and Villa Amalia (2009).
Mirroring the solemn and repetitive nature of a life given over entirely to religious worship and self-sacrifice, the film’s slight and slow narrative follows a group of French monks in their day to day activities in a small Algerian village. Their stoic, peaceful and altruistic existence is thrown into turmoil by the civil war, and their involvement with a group of Muslim rebels located in the mountains nearby.
The monks, led by the excellently reserved Lambert Wilson, are forced to help an injured rebel, and are unwittingly thrown into the middle of the region’s war-time tensions. As inevitable tragedy creeps toward them, passionate disagreements erupt, and the group must decide between their faith and self-preservation…
Of Gods And Men focuses very acutely on the experiences of its French monks – not in itself a bad thing – but, unfortunately, this comes at the detriment of a wider understanding of Algeria’s problems (the French role at the heart of these problems), and a rounded picture of the Algerian individuals represented in the film.
Beauvois and Comar’s film is so deeply ensconced in the ponderous rhythms and profound faith of the Trappist monks’ life that it entirely forgoes characterisation of any Algerian – whether villager, fundamentalist or governmental – and offers no explanations for their troubling actions, or the national conflict which shapes and propels the film’s narrative. Possibly the film’s creators assume a knowledge on the part of the audience of the intricacies of Algeria’s history of colonial rule under the French, and the religious and socio-political troubles the country has battled since being granted independence in 1962. Given their shared history, certainly French audiences are more likely to be familiar with the Algerian Civil War than others, and films are often admirable and successful when focusing on the specifics and the quotidian, letting the audience draw wider political conclusions for themselves.
The problem with Of Gods And Men, however, is that its specific focus does not encourage, or even allow the viewer to expand on its minutiae in order to gain a greater understanding of the internal or external conflict. The unflinching focus on the monks comes at the expense of the Algerians, resulting in a simplistic, Manichean representation of the political situation.
Whereas the monks are consistently bathed in imagery of holiness, purity, goodness and warmth, the aggression of the Algerian Muslim ‘extremists’ is half-heartedly painted as illogical, ignorant and paradoxically anti-religious. Elsewhere, the Algerian army is sinister, dangerous and unhelpful, government ministers corrupt, and the villagers - the only half-way positive representations of Algerians in the whole film - are disinterestedly weak, simple and needy.
The night before the narrative’s climactic event, the monks hold a ‘last supper’ with Tchaikovsky soaring loudly on the soundtrack. For a film which largely forgoes explicit sentimentalisation in favour of silence, slowness and poetic religiosity, this overwrought scene betrays the emotional simplicity in the film’s formulation. These monks are revered – unrealistically, almost mythically – as paragons of virtue, patience and love, symbols of a ‘correct’ form of religion: white, European, civilised and Christian.
Algerians, under oppressive French colonial rule from 1830 to 1962, should be offended by a French production which represents their resulting troubles through the exalting story of a group of morally pure white French Christians, and their evil treatment at the hands of Algerian brutes. Only once during the film is France’s colonial past in Algeria mentioned – an offhand gesture to complexity – and in producing a story which asks us to sympathise with a group of colonial leftovers in lieu of Algerian victims, Of Gods And Men presents an unpleasantly simplistic, Eurocentric representation of history.
The performances are first class, and the film holds a largely consistent and evocative mood of patience, melancholy and glacial tension. By removing Muslim atrocities from their political context, however, the film paints a simplistic and conservative snapshot of history, with an ultimately unfaithful pretention toward universal profundity. KI
Film: Of Gods And Men
Release date: 3rd December 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 121 mins
Director: Xavier Beauvois
Starring: Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale, Olivier Rabourdin, Philippe Laudenbach, Jacques Herlin
Genre: Drama
Studio: Artificial Eye
Format: Cinema
Country: France
After winning the Grand Prix at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, Of Gods And Men has now become France’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming Oscars. Directed by Xavier Beauvois and based on the true story of seven French Trappist monks mysteriously beheaded in Algeria in 1996, the film focuses primarily on the events leading up to their deaths.
Set in rural North Africa, the movie is centred on a quiet monastery overlooking a quiet village. The eight monks who live within have developed a warm relationship with the villagers, dispensing advice and selling them their produce. More importantly, one of the monks, Luc (Michael Lonsdale), is a practicing doctor offering free out-patients treatment to the locals.
Their part in the peaceful community is threatened when Islamic Fundamentalists began to cause trouble in the region – culminating in the massacre of a group of Croatian construction workers. When the terrorists later seek medical attention at the monastery - following an unrelated incident - a moral dilemma over whether they should treat them occurs. This is the least of their problems, however, as it becomes increasingly apparent that their lives are in danger and their faith will be strongly tested…
Of Gods And Men is an understated, nuanced film. There are no set pieces, no dramatic speeches, no unnecessary flourishes. It opens simply, showing the quietly contemplative monks praying and singing. It’s an early indication of the measured simplicity of Beauvois’ approach to the subject matter. He efficiently establishes the warmth of the relationship between the monks and the villagers by following a young Algerian as he moves in and around the monastery, greeting the Frenchmen and chatting idly with them. It’s a clever scene, quickly introducing a rich cast of characters, a sense of their lifestyle and the community which exists between the Trappists and the Muslims.
Further illustrating the point, a wonderful tete-a-tete between Luc and a local girl makes explicit the respect in which the monks are held. She asks him what it feels like to be in love and his response indicates that he has had a substantial life prior to his being ordained as a monk. Luc’s evocative description of the emotions love engenders is utterly endearing and cleverly played – initially it seems that Luc’s love is for God. It’s only in the latter part of the conversation that it is made explicit that he has been in love a number of times prior to his finding God – his truest love. These hints at a previous life (and the fact that he is a doctor) are the only clues we are given to any of the monks’ back-stories.
Lonsdale is fabulous as the gruff Luc - Of Gods And Men is a film worth watching if only for the joy of seeing an ensemble cast of elderly men lighting up the screen with their very presence. The performances are uniformly excellent, suffused with warmth and sensitivity. Lived-in, wrinkled faces are well equipped to convey the quiet emotion contained within this film - a rueful smile, a slight wince or a crinkling of the eyes says as much as a thousand scripted words. Every single actor - regardless of the size of their role - imbues their character with an individuality created entirely through their own skill (even the sparse clothing of the monks offers no scope for individuality). A perfect example of this is Amédée (Jacques Herlin), the oldest of the monks, who probably has the least to say. Herlin‘s performance is pitch perfect - a beguiling mixture of tenderness, confusion and tolerance conveyed almost wordlessly through his expressive face.
As things become increasingly fraught, and the danger to the lives of the monks become increasingly tangible, their faith is tested and their resolve questioned. As they toy with the idea of leaving the monastery, they each have their own crises of confidence: how can there be a God in a world so cruel; do they belong in the wider world; can they abandon the village when it needs them most? Beauvois’ stance is to maintain a position of neutrality meaning that despite the enormous part which religion plays in the movie, enjoying it requires no religious faith on the behalf of the viewer. As the monks discuss their predicament and come to terms with their position, faith and religious belief are obviously at the head of the agenda. Yet the fact that they have such difficult decisions to make – even in the light of their religiousness – is not glossed over. One of them even invokes Pascal’s famous assertion that “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction.”
The scene for which the film will be most remembered sees the monks gathered around a table sharing red wine. To say too much might give away the denouement of the story, but it’s safe to say that it’s one of the most wonderful scenes committed to celluloid in recent years as music from Swan Lake plays over their silent thoughts. The soundtrack might lack subtlety, but the performances do not. As the camera sweeps around the table, it seems to capture the inner thoughts of each participant. There is joy, sadness and - above all - love visible on every face. It’s a scene drenched in emotion and an acting masterclass from all concerned. Truly magnificent stuff.
Of Gods And Men is a beautifully made film, eschewing the high drama contained in the source material in favour of quiet contemplation and a celebration of humanity which, although informed by religion, is not defined by it. The calm, quiet direction allows the marvellous individual performances room to take the limelight - and they are thoroughly deserving of it. RW
