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Don't miss THE
WAY!
SARAH'S KEY
WINNER: Grand
Prize, Cannes Film Festival OF GODS AND MEN Recently at the
Malvern
Inspired by real events, this unforgettable film tells the story of eight French Christian monks living a life of
quiet contemplation and manual labor in a remote monastery in North Africa. Although everyone in the nearby village is Muslim,
the monks are an integral part of the local community. They sell their produce and honey at the local market, and run a
clinic that provides the only medical services in the area. The monks’ peaceful and contemplative existence is threatened
when Islamic militants slaughter a Serbian work crew, and order all foreigners to leave the country. The highly visible
but defenseless monks are an obvious target. When the monks refuse to allow soldiers into the monastery to protect them,
the government also demands that they leave. They find themselves faced with a difficult dilemma: stay in the monastery
or return to France. They are not fanatics, and have no wish to die for their faith. However, they are proud men, and deeply
aware of their responsibility to the local villagers. Beauvois immerses us in the mesmerizing rhythms of the monks’
lives as they work, pray, sing, and debate the potentially life or death choice that confronts them. A film that begins as
a relaxed evocation of the monastic life develops into a work of searing tension. In a world where the tenets of every religion
are routinely twisted to promote prejudice and hatred, Of Gods and Men is a refreshing portrait of an inspiring group of
men who aspire to the highest ideals of their faith.
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