Of Gods and Men (2010)

The preview had gotten me interested in this one. It's based on a true story of nine French Trappist monks in Algeria under threat from Islamic extremists during the 1996 civil war. With all that we hear about Middle Eastern violence to this day, a little tale like this can easily be overlooked.

That said, an early massacre elsewhere that sets fears in motion is about the only violence you'll see in this film. Mostly it's the monks talking with each other, authorities, unhelpful soldiers, or aggressors at their door. Despite internal and external pressures to pack up and leave, they continue to treat injuries in the community, no questions asked. Alas, it's not the next Hotel Rwanda: What little we know of the reality dictated an unhappy, if largely unseen, ending (putting aside the question of what happens to Catholic martyrs).

You needn't worry that the movie will reinforce negative feelings toward Islam. The monks are actually pretty popular with the locals, including some imams. Some cite lines from the Koran that run contrary to the behavior of the extremists. Even some of the aggressors have enough humanity to be talked down, in possibly the most uplifting moment on screen.

If only there were more moments like that. Then the gestalt would feel more meaningful.

I can love stories where the heroes mainly fail. The presentation doesn't even need to be bittersweet, as long as it excels in a few ways. But here the filmmakers apparently didn't have much to work with. The plot seldom progresses, there are no big surprises, we don't get to know any characters really well, the translation doesn't convey any awesome dialog, and it's hard to appreciate acting when some of the leads don't betray much emotion (hey, monks).

In fact, as I prepared to write this review, I had to peruse my email trash for yesterday's Netflix notice just to remind myself what I'd seen three days ago. Offhand, I recalled only that it had subtitles and was probably a drama. That is not a good sign. Granted, it doesn't help to have no familiar names involved.

Perhaps I'm being too hard on the film. I can understand why it got numerous international awards and nominations. I've even considered giving it an above-average rating, albeit more out of respect than enjoyment. If I were still intensely religious, I'd bump it up for sure. As it is, I make only the most tentative recommendation, to those who are sure they'd take strong interest in the subject.