Monday Movie - Of Gods and Men

What does it mean to live out the Gospel in a world torn apart by hate and power struggle? What happens when the desire for self-protection and self-interest stands in direct opposition to the desire to incarnate God's grace, promise, and faithfulness? What if taking up your cross to follow Jesus literally means taking up your cross? How do people in Christian community challenge each other and support each other while being patient with each other as they struggle through these questions? The film, Of God's and Men, is a practical exploration and thoughtful meditation on all these questions and more.

I've been wanting to see Of God's and Men ever since I first heard about it. The Netflix DVD arrived almost two months ago, but I wanted to wait until I knew I had the time and energy to give it my full attention. A week ago, on Sunday night (4/29), I was able to do just that, and it was a beautiful experience. I have nothing but good things to say about it. The writing, the acting, the cinematography, the music, the message were all superb! I was captivated every minute, and moved to tears at several points.

If the questions posed above are meaningful to you, I'm sure you will find this film to be very worthy of your time. If you've seen the film and have anything to say about it, or would like to recommend another film that has been meaningful to you, please comment on this post.

From Wikipedia:

Of Gods and Men is a 2010 French drama film directed by Xavier Beauvois, starring Lambert Wilson and Michael Lonsdale. Its original French language title is Des hommes et des dieux, which means "Of Men and of Gods" and refers to a verse from the Bible shown at the beginning of the film. It centers on the monastery of Tibhirine, where nine Trappist monks lived in harmony with the largely Muslim population of Algeria, until seven of them were kidnapped and assassinated in 1996 during the Algerian Civil War.

Largely a tale of a peaceful situation between local Christians and Muslims before becoming a lethal one due to external forces, the screenplay focuses on the preceding chain of events in decay of government, expansion of terrorism, and the monks' confrontation with both the terrorists and the government authorities that led up to their deaths. Principal photography took place at an abandoned monastery in Azrou, Morocco with careful attention to authenticity.

The film premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Grand Prix, the festival's second most prestigious award. It became a critical and commercial success in its domestic market, and won both the Lumière Award and César Award for Best Film.