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Of Gods and Men – in 30 Seconds

by Steven D. Greydanus Wednesday, March 09, 2011 10:45 AM Comments (2)

Don’t worry—no joking around this time. Silliness is a hallmark of my 30-second reviews so far (most notably yesterday’s The Social Network), but this film is different. Of Gods and Men—read my full-length review—is one of the most sublime films I’ve ever seen. This is a sincere tribute not only to Xavier Beauvois’ film, but to the monks of the Tibhirine monastery itself—and while I do use rhyming verse, it’s quite different from my usual approach. For Ash Wednesday, Of Gods and Men in 30 seconds (additional comments below):

I’ve seen the film twice now; on Sunday I went again with a friend from church, two of his kids and two of mine, and my cousin. What a magnificent preparation for Lent. This coming weekend I hope to watch my usual “into the desert” Lenten film, Into Great Silence; additionally, sometime in the next week I hope to catch the new 35mm print of Robert Bresson’s Diary of a Country Priest playing at New York’s Film Forum.

More on movies and Lent.

Of Gods and Men (full review).

When and where you can see Of Gods and Men.

 

Filed under 30-second reviews, islam, monastic life, monks, movies, reel faith, reviews

Comments

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Posted by The Pachyderminator on Sunday, Mar 13, 2011 3:29 AM (EDT):

I’m late commenting here, but this one is really good. The way I know it’s really good is that it’s been playing intermittently in my head for several days…and I haven’t minded, which would definitely not have been the case for the one on The Social Network.
 
I just rewatched Into Great Silence. After an experience like that, anything that actually tries to tell a story seems like stagey, shallow spectacle. Nevertheless, this one obviously deserves a chance.

Posted by Mary Arangua on Monday, Mar 21, 2011 9:48 AM (EDT):

I saw this film yesterday and my only negative comment is that in spite of the situation into which those wonderful men found themselves, it was impossible to project onto the screen the joy that must have been theirs.  “Joy!”  Not something that can be easily faked,  so I understand why the film was stiflingly serious.

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About Steven D. Greydanus

SDG
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Steven D. Greydanus is film critic for the National Catholic Register and Decent Films, the online home for his film writing. He writes regularly for Christianity Today, Catholic World Report and other venues, and is a regular guest on several radio shows. Steven has contributed several entries to the New Catholic Encyclopedia, including “The Church and Film” and a number of filmmaker biographies. He has also written about film for the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science, and Social Policy. He has a BFA in Media Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York, and an MA in Religious Studies from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook, PA. He is pursuing diaconal studies in the Archdiocese of Newark. Steven and Suzanne have seven children.