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Studio:Artificial Eye

Director:Xavier Beauvois

Cast: Xavier Maly, Loic Pichon, Olivier Rabourdin, Jean-Marie Frin, Jacques Herlin

Running Time:122 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review

It may not be mainstream cinema, but Of Gods and Men--the true story of French Trappist monks in a remote Algerian mountain village--conjures from its stark materials degrees of beauty, tension and power that deserve to be appreciated by a broad audience. The remnants of French colonial occupation, the monks have become a deep-rooted part of village life, dispensing essential medical aid, taking part in Islamic rites and advising on everything from village policy to love and marriage. But when civil war erupts between a corrupt Algerian government and Muslim militants, the political realities of Algerian history catch up with this uncontaminated world. Quietly and forcefully, the monks stand up to local militia--until escalating violence forces them to choose between escaping a certain and brutal death and their responsibilities to the village. The monks are no angels, however, and brief moments of wavering manners or faltering courage--backlit by the austere simplicity of their daily lives--allow director Xavier Beaumont to avoid creating a doctrinaire tale of Christian virtue. The film's drive is instead a confrontation between a noble, touching and courageous civil harmony and a banal, horrific and indiscriminate political war. --Leo Batchelor

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