Review by Spencer Gordon
Photo provided by Of Gods and Men

Of Gods And Men
Directed by Xavier Beauvois
Starring Lambert Wilson and Michael Lonsdale
Rated R for graphic violence
In Xavier Beauvois’ latest film, Of Gods and Men, the French director explores the life stories of seven French monks before their abduction and tragic assassination in 1996 Algeria. Lambert Wilson (the “Merovingian” in The Matrix Trilogy) stars as the head monk in this thoughtful film that brings us into the thoughts and decisions of the monks as they deal with the imminent threat of Algerian terrorists.
Although the terrorists in the film provide much of its suspense and drama, the most powerful part comes with each character’s self-reflection. The film had strong scenes about choice, especially the monks’ choice of whether or not to abandon their village and flee from the terrorists.
Beauvois effectively illustrates each monk’s internal struggles through thought-provoking scenes as well as strong acting from his cast. He also utilizes silence as an effective storytelling tool. Not only does silence compliment each actor’s performance, it heightens the emotional intensity that builds the longer the monks stay in Algeria.
My complaint about these scenes, however, is that they began to feel repetitive. The monks would think and reflect by singing hymns and praying, which unfortunately slowed the film’s pace. Although most of the time this worked, I found myself getting annoyed with each new song the group would start. For this reason, the strongest scenes in Of Gods and Men moved outside the boundaries of the church. They felt more realistic because the characters weren’t acting as formally, making their internal pain and struggle seem more genuine.
Although most of Of Gods and Men centers on the monks, scenes involving the terrorists give the film some much-needed excitement. Early on, we see a brutal slaughter of Algerian construction workers. Although graphic and morbid, the scene has good pacing, a speed, unfortunately, that the film never comes close to again.
Beyond the subject matter, the slow progression of this movie is due to its lack of a commanding musical score. What was included was not only dull, but hard to pick-up on. During some pivotal scenes near the end, I swear the movie was completely silent except for the sound effects. In Of Gods and Men, a memorable soundtrack would have helped with slow scenes, but more importantly, it would have added to the emotional force of the important parts. Without it, the movie just felt flat.
Overall, the acting and direction in Of Gods and Men was solid and enjoyable. Still, I left the theater wanting a more intense film. I would imagine that every day these monks lived on the edge and that their last remaining days were some of the most chaotic anyone could ever go through. Unfortunately, Of Gods and Men wasn’t able to capture enough of that intensity in order to honor the remarkable story it was attempting to tell.

Grade: B- for an overall good movie that lacked a powerful score, slowing the film down.

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Without Strong Score, ‘Gods and Men’ Moves Slowly