Of Gods And Men

Of Gods And Men, based on actual events, is a French film set in Algeria in the mid 90's and centers around a small community of Cisterian monks who come under the threat of Muslim fundamentalists. I was greatly impressed by this film so I popped onto the Amazon website to see how much the dvd cost. Most of the reviews by other customers were extremely positive and many gave the film full marks but I came across one guy's review which really annoyed me so much that I left a comment on the website.

His review:

'Long,slow,uninspiring and tedious film about a bunch of ageing cistercian monks caught in the islamist uprising in Algeria in the 1990s.
I find it impossible to have any sympathy for any of the characters. These 8 christians,boring, irresponsible and selfish out of touch freaks but with a clear conscience ,lucky them, are in my eyes as fanatically dangerous and reprehensible as their muslim extremist'brothers': willing martyrs to religous fanaticism. Whether they end up basking in heaven or rotting in hell should not be any concern of mine and will leave many unmoved and exasperated.'

My response:

'I watched Of Gods And Men last night. I could not disagree with you more. I thought this was a very powerful and moving film. The cinematography was beautiful, the actors were totally convincing in their roles, and the story compelling. I found the comments about the monks being 'boring, irresponsible, and selfish out of touch freaks' and being 'fanatically dangerous and reprehensible' both perplexing and inaccurate. They lived peacefully with their Muslim brothers and sisters, never trying to convert them or undermine their beliefs (hardly fanatical). They had a medical clinic which many sick people used (hardly selfish) and the Muslim community respected and loved these men. You can see that the majority of the reviews on this website are very positive about this film, and I bet that a lot of those who gave positive reviews are not necessarily religious. You don't have to be religious or even believe in God to enjoy and appreciate this film. You are totally entitled to your own opinion on this film and free to express it but your own comments seemed 'extreme' to me.'

I was not so much annoyed that he found the film 'long, slow, uninspiring and tedious'. I disagree but that's fine, we all have different tastes in film. It was his comments about the moral character of the monks and their way of life that I found insulting and unfair. I guess I am angry because I have been going to a Cisterian monastery guest house called Nunraw since I was eight years old and I have met these 'out of touch freaks' on many occasions. I refute all the insulting and inaccurate labels that he put on the monks. I have read a bit about the Cisterian monks portrayed in the film and by all accounts they sounded exactly like the the monks I have known over the years at Nunraw. In short, very good, down to earth men. There is nothing fanatical about them. Their way of life may seem extreme to many 'normal' people but I can assure you that they are much more well adjusted and sane than some of the broken souls leading what appears to be a normal life in the eyes of modern society. I just want to defend these good men from some guy with a chip on his shoulder and what I would consider his 'extreme' views concerning their moral character.

The film itself is wonderful. My cousin described it as 'beautiful cinema' and I thoroughly agree with him.

Of Gods And Men - 9/10