Of Gods and Men (2011)
85%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Patient and restrained, Of Gods and Men asks deep, profound questions that will linger in the audience’s mind long after the movie
Of Gods and Men is a movie that will make you feel like you’re in church, but without the boring parts. The film follows a group of monks who are just trying to live their lives and do good in the world, but things get complicated when violence comes knocking at their door. The performances are great, and the cinematography is beautiful. Plus, there’s a scene where the monks sing while a helicopter hovers overhead, which is pretty badass. Overall, it’s a meditative and moving film that will make you think about faith, bravery, and what it means to be human.
Production Company(ies)
M K2 Productions, France 3 Cinéma C AB Productions,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2011
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.33 : 1
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Runtime:2h 2m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:France
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 25, 2011 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 5, 2011
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Of Gods and Men, PG-13, Drama, 2h 2m, starring Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale, Olivier Rabourdin, Philippe Laudenbach, Jacques Herlin, Loïc Pichon, directed by Xavier Beauvois, written by Xavier Beauvois and Etienne Comar, produced by Pascal Caucheteux and Etienne Comar, reviewed by J.R Jones, Ann Hornaday, Leonard Maltin, Tom Long, Marc Savlov, Joe Williams, Richard Propes, Felicia Feaster, David Harris, Kelly Jane Torrance, genre, box office performance, budget, MPAA rating, Trappist monks, Algeria, civil war, Muslim population, fundamentalist terrorists, actual events, tragic consequences, Dolby Digital
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Michaël Lonsdale – Luc
Olivier Rabourdin – Christophe
Philippe Laudenbach – Célestin
Jacques Herlin – Amédée
Loïc Pichon – Jean-Pierre
Director(s)
Xavier Beauvois
Writer(s)
Xavier Beauvois, Etienne Comar
Producer(s)
Pascal Caucheteux, Etienne Comar
Film Festivals
Cannes, Telluride
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (119) | Top Critics (42) | Fresh (110) | Rotten (9)
Alternately harrowing and humbling, this is a story of ordinary men whose compassion is tested in the cruelest, most profound fashion.
August 10, 2011
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Beauvois takes his time limning the daily rhythms of the monastery, lingering on its most lyrical and sensuous moments, so that when violence finally reaches its gates the effect is all the more chilling.
July 28, 2011 | Rating: 4/4
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
I was stirred by the emotions expressed in this film-and the wonderful performances of its cast. Filmmaker Beauvois chose great faces, as well as great actors, to bring these characters to life, and they manage to convey an enormous amount with very…
June 29, 2011
Leonard Maltin
indieWire
TOP CRITIC
The film, directed by Xavier Beauvois, moves back and forth between the monks doing their daily chores and the decisions they must face as a group.
April 8, 2011 | Rating: B
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
There are numerous sequences of tremendous emotional power here, none more so than one in which the monks gather together to sing an ancient Gregorian chant as an Algerian Army helicopter gunship hovers threateningly overhead.
April 1, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Forgive me, Father, for I was bored.
March 25, 2011 | Rating: 2.5/4
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
Examines the fragile yet luminous weaving together of God within the lives of humanity in a way that is at times painful, heartbreaking, inspiring, and awesome.
September 18, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
[A] meditative, serene film about faith and bravery.
January 17, 2020
Felicia Feaster
Charleston City Paper
Unlike most films where religion is portrayed as a dehumanizing or negative force, Beauvois makes it clear that he sees this band of monks in clearly humanistic terms.
November 6, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
Beauvois directs with a simple austerity, but one so rich with emotional and spiritual undertones that much of what the film is trying to say is conveyed without words.
August 5, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
The latest film by the French actor-turned-director Xavier Beauvois, Of Gods and Men won the Grand Prix at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, and may be Beauvois’ most accomplished work to date.
March 18, 2019
Duncan Gray
MUBI
The film is a masterful exploration of belief in God and, perhaps more importantly, love.
January 8, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Kelly Jane Torrance
Washington Examiner…
Plot
During the Algerian Civil War, a group of Trappist monks must decide whether to stay with their Muslim neighbors or flee from fundamentalist terrorists in Of Gods and Men, a patient and profound drama that asks difficult questions about faith and sacrifice.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film stars Lambert Wilson and Michael Lonsdale as Trappist monks living among the Muslim population in Algeria.
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