Review of Of Gods and Men (2010) by Abilash G — 09 Apr 2011

Deep, touching and inspiring, the film tells a story about the French monks and their moral responsibility -- their beloved Algerian Muslim villagers. A beautiful story of true cross-religious love and companionship. An authentic aspect of religious pluralism that is most needed today and, ironically, a common pattern across Muslim-majority societies for centuries, but crushed in the modern ferocity of ideologies.

See how Christian (Lambert Wilson), the head of a Cistercian monastery in Algeria, speaks Insyall Allah (Quranic idiom, God permitting, hopefully) and use the basic Arabic greeting to gain the respect of villagers and immerse themselves in the local custom. See how villagers rely on them medically and emotionally as they are their best spiritual friends. True love for humans should have no borders, and not the least religious borders. The late modern conflicts in the world from the inglorious war against terrorists in US to the mistreatment of immigrants in France; the mistrust of "the west" in Middle East and many non-western societies at large. Unless you can do as much as these monks, never pretend to use any slogan that implies you are rescuing people from disasters -- you are the next disaster, and you already were the (in)direct cause of the previous disasters.

Perhaps all too idealized -- but the message is clear. The simplicity and austerity, the honesty about the fear and the final resolution in a struggle for peace, toleration and sacrifice for a higher cause -- these are the rare values that cannot be emphasized more nowadays, perhaps also as a good allegory for the robust, heavily commercialized movie industry today.

The kidnapping and murder of monks in Algeria by radial Islamists in 1996 became relatively secondary -- except this tragedy only accentuates the true religious spirit all the more. The bigger picture and fundamental question we should ask ourselves is why these monks chose to stay when they could have just left. It is this noble decision-- not without fear-- that we see the nature of the local companionship.

Music is a big key that enhances the entire film: Gregorian chant all the long yet Tchaikovsky at the end. The austerest and the cheesiest says much about their seemingly isolated life is actually surrounded and surrounding the world outside them, in which they are deeply embedded and touched.

The US subtitle should translate the Islamic greetings instead of going blank as if they don't mean anything. This is a crucial part that specifies the nature of human relationship of the story this film aims to unfold. I don't see how this simple translation can be omitted.