A simple monastery, located in a secluded place in the mountains of North Africa. Several monks prayed, swept, meditated, and got along well with the local Muslim villagers. They shopped in the market, sold homemade honey, and healed the villagers. They formed a tree-and-bird-like interdependence with each other.
However, the turbulent situation outside quickly broke the tranquility of the monastery. The film Man and God presents us with the question of how a group of monks should behave in a turbulent situation.
Although the film does not clearly indicate the geographical location of the monastery, anyone with a little knowledge of French history knows that France was once in deep trouble in Algeria. We can see from the film that the local Islamic extremist groups continue to create terrorist incidents, which is almost a portrayal of the situation in Algeria at that time. They have both political demands (demanding independence) and religious demands (rejecting foreign religions).
A group of monks, caught between political and religious conflict.
It is commendable that the film does not start from the external environment, but goes deep into the heart of the monks to show people the differences between them. Some monks, who have practiced for almost a lifetime, are still hesitant, timid and hesitant in the face of life and death. This is the true portrayal of human nature.
The film focuses on several meetings of the monks. How to choose? In such a harsh environment, is it to leave or stay? This is a life-or-death question. The film presents the meeting scene in great detail, showing the different psychological reactions of the monks, who gradually moved from initial doubts to consensus. There is no noise, everyone's words are so few, the camera sweeps their faces one by one, showing their hearts. By the end of the film, they stopped talking, and Doctor Luke played Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake". The beautiful melody contained struggles, falls, confrontations between black and white, struggles, and hope. The music expressed their hearts and at the same time seemed like a blessing from the gods. They seemed to see a foreboding in the music—entering through that dark door, and there was light ahead.
The film depicts the different spiritual outlook of each monk. Among them, Doctor Luke and Dean Christine are the most vivid. The doctor is like a wise man, his conversation with the girl about love and his performance in the meeting all show that he has mature wisdom; and Dean Christine, in his dealings with terrorists and the army, can see that he is firm belief.
The theme of the film is to reveal the difference between human nature and divinity, and how people learn from divinity through self-purification—even if it is only a slight approach. With the final death, people embark on a road of dedication. This is an upward path. The so-called "man and God", the meaning lies in this. The scene at the end of the film is full of allegory. On the snow-covered mountains, a group of monks marched with difficulty, and they walked to a higher place...
The tone of the film is restrained and clear. The monks walked slowly, communicated softly in the woods, prayed silently in the room, meditated peacefully by the lake, and the light and shadow effects during the period were also quiet. The peace of the monks in the film is in stark contrast to the chaos of the outside world. The rumbling noise of government helicopters and the sound of trucks slamming into doors when terrorists break in at night are like harsh thunder, tearing apart the tranquility of the mountains. Everything is broken, and a big test is coming. Nervous, drove in quietly. However, director Xavier Biworth "quietly" handled the tension. This is what makes the film intriguing, and it also elevates the quality of the film.
From this point of view, the film is not about the struggle between different religions, nor about the political disputes, although they are all involved; it focuses on the hearts of the characters, as if the constant occurrence of events is to wipe the inner hearts of the monks, So that the inner light of the monks can be revealed. Their actions are like using needles of faith to mend the broken world.
——This article is selected from the anthology of Mr. Liu Wei and Liu "Is this life me?"
View more about Of Gods and Men reviews
