Finally, in addition to the spontaneous words and actions of the monks (
part 4), the rich and frequent scenes of prayers, hymns and liturgy, an integral part of the fabric of the film, contributes enormously to the depiction of the monks’ Catholic milieu, their beliefs and spirituality.
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After three posts exploring the Catholic content of
Of Gods and Men, I thought I was finished, but reader comments persuaded me to add two more posts.
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In this extraordinary document are an astonishing Christian spirit and an irenicism toward Islam that is startling and challenging. Is it
too irenic—the “false irenicism” warned against by Pope Pius XII in
Humani Generis and the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism?
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These are only scraps, but notable scraps, particularly given the comparatively little religious dialogue between Muslims and Christians in the film. For the most part, the film focuses on the inner and communal lives of the monks—and it is here the film most powerfully bears witness to the uniqueness of the Christian faith.
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This weekend,
Of Gods and Men — based on the true story of the martyred Trappist monks of the Tibhirine monastery in Algeria — gets its widest distribution yet, opening on 36 new screens in California, Connecticut, Colorado, DC, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. Is it playing anywhere near you?
Check playdates!
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Don’t worry—no joking around this time.
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A+ |
**** |
+4|
Teens & Up
Xavier Beauvois’ sublime
Of Gods and Men is that almost unheard-of film that you do not judge—it judges you. To one degree or another it defies every attempt to put it in a box, to reduce its challenge to a political or pious ideological stance to be affirmed or critiqued.
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