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.