Yes, really, the whole movie! Click on the Gloria link above.
Based on true story, 'Of Gods and Men' centres around the monastery of Tibhirine, where Catholic Trappist monks from France lived in harmony with the largely Muslim population of Algeria, until seven of them were beheaded on the night of 26-27 March 1996, by fundamentalists in a still unclear incident. The screenplay focuses on the time leading up to their death. Principal photography took place at an abandoned monastery in Morocco, with careful attention to authenticity.
Rated PG 13 for a momentary scene of startling wartime violence, some disturbing images and brief language. (re-screening; originally Rated R for a scene of graphic violence.
On 23 May, the Armed Islamic Group's communique no. 44 reported that the Armed Islamic Group had killed the monks on 21 May. The Algerian government announced that their heads had been discovered on May 31; their bodies' whereabouts are unknown. Their funeral Mass was celebrated in the Catholic Cathedral of Notre Dame d'Afrique (Our Lady of Africa), Algiers on Sunday, June 2, 1996 and they were buried in the cemetery of the monastery at Tibhirine two days later.
The surviving monks of Tibhirine left Algeria, and have set up a monastery near Midelt in Moroccowith help from other Trappist monks from France.
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 big critical and commercial success in its domestic market. It won the Lumière Award for Best Film and has been nominated for eleven César Awards.
"What's interesting about this film is that, while the central theme is thick with religion, there are other themes as stimulating. There is a debate to be had about the political points the film conjures in respect of colonisation and the feasibility of East/West cohabitation. For those interested in theology, there is piquant dialogue on the worth of religion. There's even room for ethics. Faith is presented here as both the force which gives the monks the courage to stay in their monastery, and the thing which ultimately sends them to their deaths."
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