Chichester Cinema at New Park
Of Gods and Men
- Des hommes et des dieux
Lambert Wilson and Michel Lonsdale head a superb cast in Xavier Beauvois's gripping and provocative drama set in a monastery in North Africa.
Xavier Beauvois vaults into the realm of mature mastery with this sombre, humane and provocative drama. Based on a true incident, the film is set in a Cistercian monastery in North Africa in the 1990s, where eight French monks live in cordial harmony with the local population.
The monastery's abbot, Brother Christian (Lambert Wilson), is as much versed in the Koran as in the Bible, giving him a special insight into, and respect for, the nation he has chosen to work in. But the country is increasingly in the grip of fundamentalist violence, and the brothers must soon decide whether to stay or leave.
A compassionate plea for understanding between cultures, the film muses on the meaning of religious vocation in a violent world, and tackles its subject with authoritative, non-sensationalist forcefulness. Superbly photographed by Caroline Champetier - watch her sensitivity to faces in the dinner sequence near the end - this powerful but understated drama features terrific performances by an ensemble cast including the ever-magisterial Michael Lonsdale as the monastery's resident medic(subtitles).
Part of the SPIRITUAL CINEMA SEASON
Part of the RENDEZ-VOUS WITH FRENCH CINEMA SEASON
France · 2010 · Xavier Beauvois · 120min
