Of Gods and Men

Lambert Wilson plays Christian, the lead monk in Of Gods and Men...

Of Gods and Men was a movie that portrayed to me the beauty in humble strength. Overall, I give the movie a thumbs down; it didn't hold out well in my opinion. What it did do though, was portrayed the life of eight monks who have become the core to a Muslim community.

In the movie, viewers get to see the tangled lives of these monks as well as the stormy life of the community. I honestly have never taken the time to dwell much on monks and their lifestyle. I never knew how honorable their simplicity is, and how much the communities the serve can depend on them. The movie dwells a while on the interaction between the monks and their community and how both are beneficial to one another. 

However, as terrorists start pressing in on the community, viewers get to see the cracks in the surface of the monks. The doctor monk starts to explain how he's worn, another monk questions his faith, Christian, the leader of the group, is ultimately faced with the hardest question: should he give the okay to leave in order to protect himself and the other monks. 

...And then he plays a prisoner possessed by inner demons in another. What a turn around. *disclaimer: I've never seen this movie, but RottenTomatoes don't recommend it.

All the while the monks trusted God, and searched frantically for the answers to their problems in God's Word and through what God answered their prayers with. 

The monks were able to come to the conclusion that they would stay with the community, no matter the risk, and that's where the beauty lies. They were noble enough to acknowledge that they were in great danger and that they could very well die in order to stay and continue their work in the frantic and dying community they'd aided for so many years. 

I guess I didn't glean what I should have from this movie. Reviews on line talk about the many profound questions and challenges this movie evokes, but I was only repeatedly faced with the question of: would I stay? 

I think that when God calls us to a purpose like that of those monks, we have to stay with it. Jesus talks about taking up our cross and following Him and that he who loses his life for Him will find it (mentioned in the movie by the way--this is crucial because this helped to sway the decision of the monks), so in this case I think it's clear God would have wanted the monks to stay because He'd put them there and blessed their work there.

Overall, I do have a lot of respect for this movie and feel that there was definitely a lot there for a viewer to walk away with, however, it's not one of the better one's I've seen at Signs this semester--but that's just from my viewpoint. 

This sir does not approve.

Of Gods and Men

What is this movie about? Martyrdom? Fidelity? Incarnation? Death? Freedom?

To be honest, I do not know what to write and how to start this blog, because no matter how well I try to write I won't be able to properly represent this multi-layered movie. I did not know what to expect from this movie, I had no previous knowledge, but the movie tackled universal question that everyone struggles with and Christians who choose to go through the small gate. This movie came very personal to me because my parents are missionaries. Sometimes people might think that being a missionary is a glorious and honorable thing, but actually it is far from those. It is a raw struggle with self and with God. One cannot be a missionary without tears, without kneeling down, without constant despair and loneliness...

"Love endures" are the exact words that brother Christian tells another brother who is in great fear of becoming a martyr. The question that the movie tackles is "is it God's will to become a martyr? or is it God's will for us to use God given freedom to leave for safety?"

Brother Christian, who is the leader of the Monastry, says, “Wildflowers don’t move to find the sun’s rays. God makes them fecund wherever they are.” Yes, endurance...

I do not know how to continue or to conclude this blog. There are so much in the movie.

I am still in process of digesting the movie. I will continue to watch this movie over and over again, and probably recommend to any close friends that I talk to.

One thing I have realized was one good movie is more powerful than an elaborate sermon or a heart-touching testimony. Let's never underestimate the power of what we are studying.

Definately in my top 5 list.





Of Gods and Men

“Of Gods and Men” is a film about monks living in the extremely violent, Islamic culture of Algeria. There is a group of militants that are trying to eliminate all foreigners and non-believers (of Islam).  This is the predominant conflict of Christianity versus Islam, but there is also conflict among the monks themselves. After the ruthless, Islamic group massacres a nearby group of foreign highway workers, the monks know they are in danger. They must decide whether to stay in their village at high risk of becoming martyrs, or flee their abbey, which does not defy their creed. Some monks want to stay while others want to flee. The monks are warned several times by the militants that if they stay, they will probably die. The monks end up staying at their abbey. There is a very long, dramatic scene of the monks faces, simply awaiting their death. They are then kidnapped in the night. The last scene you see is the monks being taken through the snow off into the distance. The viewer is then told that they were killed.

Religion was such a dominant element in this film. Islam and Christianity filled the movie. The monks did not force Christianity on the Islams. They merely offered help to them and acted as a light and hope for the people. The monks even participated in the Islam ceremonies and celebrations. This was how the monks lived.  Most of the beginning was dedicated to portraying the monks lifestyles. I found it interesting when Prof. Tait mentioned the director actually had the actors live in a real monastery before the film was shot. It leads to believe that the monks were probably accurately represented.

I feel as though I would have to watch this film again to fully understand and appreciate it for what it is, but I definitely think religion was interpreted well. Religion often causes tension, defensiveness, or offensiveness. In “Of Gods and Men” each religion was presented with an acceptance of the other. The Islamic villagers accepted the monks and appreciated their help, while the monks accepted the Islams and participated in their lives. The film did not try to change anyone’s view on Christianity or Islam; it simply told the true story of a group of monk’s lives and deaths. The monks were in no way perceived as perfect. Yes, they were wise, meek, humble, and faithful, but they had problems, issues, and flaws as well. The Christians were people, just as everyone else in the film. 

Of Gods and Men Review

I never have heard of this film so I decided to go onto IMDB and look up the summary and if it is rated high or not. The rating from critics averaged out to be in the 80's so I figured this film would be very good, however I have seen better.

In all honesty, I felt as if the film was very flat, and I felt like if you weren't informed about what it is about before viewing the film, then you'd just get confused about what was going on. Even after being briefed with some history before the film, I still got lost and did not know what was going on, which made me lose interest throughout. There were only a few scenes that were nail biting which is a bummer. Even though I do respect the film, I just feel as if there were not enough parts to make the audience indulge in wanting more.

This is only my personal opinion of the film, and I am sure that there are many people who do like it. I just didn't really feel as if I connected with the film as much as I wanted to which is most of the reason as to why I didn't get into/enjoy the film as much as I would've liked ot.