Wonderful character development!

People are voting emotionally.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

This was another one of those French films that without reading about it in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die I would never have heard or probably cared about, and besides the recommendation I was looking forward to seeing a James Bond film star. Basically a group of monks in a monastery are interrupted while making peaceful prayers, performing medical assistance and interacting with the community when there is a threat be an Islamic fundamentalist group. Christian (Lambert Wilson) the elected leader of the monks refuses protection of authority who are known to be corrupt, the monks split on the decision as to whether to stay in the monastery or flee to Algeria, but before the decision is made Ali Fayattia (Farid Larbi) and his group of fundamentalists demanding a doctor and medical supplies. Christian requests the requests of Fayattia and his group, who leave the compound in peace, but before he can grant protection on it he is captured, tortured and killed by government forces, and despite the danger and potential death they are faced with the monks stick with their morals and maintain their commitment to their religion and the local people. During a night time raid the terrorists ultimately seize control of the monastery, capturing the monks and holding them hostage, they are forced to walk a snowy path toward their fate, and the conclusion sees some words written by one of them, bravely made out before faced with death. Also starring Moonraker's Michael Lonsdale as Luc, Olivier Rabourdin as Christophe, Philippe Laudenbach as Célestin, Jacques Herlin as Amédée, Loïc Pichon as Jean-Pierre, Xavier Maly as Michel, Jean-Marie Frin as Paul, Abdelhafid Metalsi as Nouredine, Sabrina Ouazani as Rabbia, Abdallah Moundy as Omar, Olivier Perrier as Bruno and Adel Bencherif as Terrorist. I will first admit that most of the film was hard to follow, by I just about got that monks were against terrorists, but to be honest I liked the slower moments of the film, the talks amongst the religious men, including the memorable simply music scene featuring "Swan Lake" by Tchaikovsky, so with just enough thrilling moments like death and some interesting quieter sequences it adds up to a watchable drama. It was nominated the BAFTA for Best Film not in the English Language. Good!

By my title I mean one needn't be religious to appreciate this film. I watched it in three forty minute sessions on consecutive nights. I recommend such viewing because the dialog really needs to be absorbed and the movie lacks the thrills, suspense, etc., that lesser two-hour movies rely on. It's kind of like a classroom that you have to come back to after being refreshed and with a lesson you have allowed to sink in after a day. If I may give it away, the individual Trappist monks, in their sessions with Christian, each give convincing arguments for their decision to stay the course. Again, you need not be a believer. The key teachings of this film are of conviction and the need to give meaning to one's life. Courage is merely a by-product of this exercise of this conviction. Pacifism really has little to do with the group's motivation and tragic end. I can only do justice to OF GODS AND MEN by quoting Keats, "Beauty is truth and truth, beauty."

The other day I watched the film Compliance, which tells a true story in the form of a drama. I didn't find much in the film and wondered why it added nothing to the events other than showing them. I mention this because the opposite is true with Of Gods and Men. Here we have a true story told but done in a way that adds to the characters, engages the viewer and has room for thought. The priests of the story struggle with whether or not to leave their monastery in Algeria once it becomes very dangerous due to the actions of fundamentalists in the region. This is the majority of the film in a nutshell and as such it is perhaps not a film that could stand a mass audience.I don't say this in a condescending way, but just that the film is probably too slow for the casual viewer – not that others "won't get it" or any such nonsense as that. I liked the film but even for me there were times where it lingered too long or spent too long showing us certain aspects of life in the monastery. It did feel longer than 2 hours and I think this is mostly down to the fact that the whole film has a very slow pace and very gentle delivery. The upside of this is that it does have more emotional impact as a result – because the characters are clearer, we understand their minds and I enjoyed that I was able to see their struggle and also understand the reasons for their decisions because I had seen the role they played.The film matches the slow pace with some beautiful shots; visually it is a very still film and it does feel at times that it is like a great painting, with the use of light and atmosphere. The performances are where the film delivers best though. Everyone is strong and seems to have understood their characters very well because they are convincing and engaging. The ballet music meal towards the end of the film is the best example but there are plenty of equally strong and expressive moments throughout.It is a slow film and even though I liked it, I did still struggle with the glacial pace at times. It rewards and satisfies at the same time, but a few times you do need to stick with it while it unfolds slowly.

This film should deserve better. But it did not. Problem lies in the importance of significant events are failed to be captured properly.For example, there is too much time allocation on menial tasks, which is okay, but when scenes significant to the flow of plot surfaces, I just do not understand why the director did so little and allow certain cliché, unrealistic actions to take place. This is especially true to the terrorists who I believed were not portrayed in the correct way. Just go away without stealing the medications? This is so not realistic.The priests themselves, while collectively they have been given enough character study, by showing that even priests are like human beings who can be conflicted with each other and conflicted with their faith under fear and life-threatening circumstances... are still below my expectations.For example, some of them had expressed enough cowardice at the beginning that I expect some sort of betrayal to happen but it did not. This is fine. I questioned the motives of why some of them ended up becoming as priests, and there was not enough reason to justify why those who desperately wanted to leave changed their minds later. Not fine. The movie failed to addressed these issues in full. Maybe the pace is too slow for me, but I think the movie could have done a little more given the amount of time it was allocated.