Of Gods and Men
User Score
7.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 29
  3. Negative: 4 out of 29

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  1. MarcDoyle
    Mar 5, 2011
    9
    A beautiful film. Probably helps just a bit if you're Catholic, but the ecumenical spirit among the priests & their Muslim neighbors is refreshing. Finally, we see monks/missionaries/priests in a positive light. Amazing courage in the face of irrational danger. Of the 30+ people in my theater, maybe 8 walked out before it was over - it can be a little slow at times. But it works! Inspirational.
  2. jeremyp
    Apr 20, 2011
    9
    The most spiritual and uplifting movie in quite a while. And if you don't like spiritual then how about charity and duty to one's fellow man. It's probably too slow paced for many young people but not for those who are wondering about their souls. Eight Trappist monks have to face up to the probability that their lives are in mortal danger if they stay in their monastery in Algeria, which is being ripped apart by a civil war between a secular Muslim government and extremists. How they come individually to their decisions is explored steadily over the movie's length. We see how they live and most importantly how they interweave almost seamlessly with their Arab neighbors. As they abjure from proselytizing and offer medical, farming, and other social needs they are respected. But they are Christians and they are foreigners and the extremists view them with at least a very jaundiced eye, and at most with evil intent. This is not a movie about terrorists, nor a movie about Frenchmen, but about faith and a deep sense of duty to that faith. It's not a movie just for Christians or even Catholics, it's a movie for all faiths and creeds as it speaks to the fundamental question of our role on earth: what is our purpose?… Collapse
  3. circularsongs
    Feb 14, 2013
    9
    I've heard that of Gods and Men is a boring movie, especially in reference to certain interminable scenes of rituals of daily monastic life. Psychological rituals are things you do again and again to reduce anxiety. Anthropological rituals are means of creating cohesive groups. Are we getting closer to the meaning of life? A Zen quote: "A finger pointing to the moon is not the moon". The rituals in this film are potentially signs pointing to the far more complex signified of the daily ritual enacted between the french Monastary and the Algerian town surrounding. The townspeople rely on the monastary for medical care, and more abstractly, just to be there. Holy men are supposed to keep what is holy holy. When the mujahadeen come, the head monk Christian says they are not allowed into the monastery. When they demand medicine, he says there is no medicine for them. There are no guns allowed in the monastary, and the medicine is for the townspeople. What is holy must be kept holy. But they'll be back. The monks have to decide if the ritual is holy enough to die for. There's a vote; it's split between monks who want to stay and those who want to leave. Christian is undecided. "We are like birds on a branch," says one monk to a townsperson birds who don't know if they will fly away or stay". The townsperson responds: "We are the birds; you are the branch. If you leave, we lose our footing." Falling birds: the unholiness of it is intolerable. Christian decides to stay, and tries to persuade the rest of the monks to do the same. You do not know if he is doing the right thing. Ambiguity is usually not cinematic. In this movie, it is. amm http://www.circularsongs.com … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 29 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. New Orleans Times-Picayune
    Reviewed by: Mike Scott
    Apr 29, 2011
    75
    It is a thoughtful film, a serious one, and one that is sneakily affecting.
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  2. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    Apr 21, 2011
    100
    I can't recall the last film that so wholly, honestly and movingly explained what it means to be a Christian.
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  3. Orlando Sentinel
    Reviewed by: Roger Moore
    Apr 6, 2011
    75
    A quietly compelling if not particularly emotional and sober-minded treatment of an infamous incident.
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