Of Gods and Men Embodies the Challenge of Faith

In the mid-1990s nine Trappist monks who have been living the religious life in Algeria must decide if they will stay or leave their monastery in the face of violent Islamist terrorism. They have lived in perfect harmony with the village Muslims, providing a medical clinic for them and selling their produce at the village market; the villagers depend on the presence of the monastery. The movie is focused on their difficult decision to leave or remain. The monks truly seem to love each other and to take succor from their faith. There are several devastating scenes: the monks continuing their chanted service as a helicopter hovers a few yards from the monastery, the monks debating whether to leave around a table, the monks drinking a glass of wine while listening to an excerpt of Swan Lake, wordlessly enjoying the moment of brotherhood and beauty.

Of Gods and Men is one of the most powerful films about faith, responsibility, and the religious life I have seen. All the acting is wonderful, but of special note is Lambert Wilson (last seen as the evil Merovingian in the Matrix) as the doctor monk. He brings a dignified humanity to the role. Some warnings: it's in French with subtitles, it has one scene of horrific violence (otherwise the violence all occurs off screen), and it does not end happily. It is based on true events. Of Gods and Men is a very unusual and intelligent film, as good as anything I've seen in a while. I recommend it highly.

Nowhere Boy: Pretty Good Film About Young John Lennon

Despite its ill-advised title, Nowhere Boy is worth seeing for anyone who is a Beatle fan (anyone over 18 that is--it has a couple of John's precocious "romantic" encounters). The focus of the plot is on the conflict between John's mother, who apparently turned him over to her sister as a small boy, and the sister. The mother seems a bit over the top, but the uptight Aunt Mimi is perfectly played by Kristin Scott Thomas, who makes a potential cartoon into a fully rounded and sympathetic character largely on the basis of her wonderfully expressive face. The kid who plays John (Aaron Johnson) is pretty good, but John is such a mixed bag at this point (part loyal son, part creep) that he's hard to get your head around. And, yes, it does include the epoch-making scene where John and Paul meet--happily understated, and the unfolding relationship of 17-year-old John and the 15-year-old Paul very nicely done. Has anybody else seen this?

Oxford Is On!

Lisa confirmed last week that Matt has been accepted into the Oxford program.