When Sucker Punch is one of the most interesting films in a theatre near you, it's time to take a trip to the theatres out of town and way behind. Right now is the best time of the year to go to them because they are about three to four months behind, and three to four months ago was when films were released so they'd be noticed by the Academy.
Last week I went to The Bookshelf, a quaint little theatre slash book store slash cafe slash lounge. Yes, all of these things are located in a single building. It's all connected. It's pretty cool! The Bookshelf shows movies that you wouldn't think citizens of Guelph would have the privilege to see. It's not fair, really. It helps that my girlfriend lives in Guelph, the city in which it's located, and that she was happy to tag along. We saw Des hommes et des dieux, France's submission for the Best Foreign Language Film this year.
The film failed to get a nomination. And after the first twenty minutes of the film, I thought I knew why. It was established that eight Christian monks live together in a monastery. They eat together, they till their soil, they study, they write sermons, and they sing hymns. As far as I was concerned, no story was being told yet.
But by forty minutes it was clear what the film is doing. These monks have situated themselves in a country in wartime; not only are they the spiritual bedrock of its peaceful citizens, they provide health care and medicine to victims. And now, as violence escalates and the risk increases, the monks are urged by the Algerian and French governments to leave. They question their resolve. The will of God is under scrutiny. The film asks some pretty big questions. To what extent should we determine our lives? If one has committed to something, can certain death be a breaking point?
A quick Google search yields that the film is based on incidents occurring during the Algerian civil war. I would warn moviegoers, if they don't already know, not to learn the details of those incidents before watching it because they are not the film's focus. I knew the details, and as a result I felt unnecessarily anxious during the film, anticipating a turbulent and devastating climax. I was happy that the film didn't go that route. The film is not meant to be a portrayal of violent events of a particular war. I don't recall Algeria being mentioned once. It's better if it isn't. The scope of this film is beyond the events of a particular war. The film is about the desire for peace, and the commitment to total humility, in the face of war.
There's an extent to which the film can be criticized for being a bit too long, or causing a yawn or two. Or four. The scene with the two bottles of wine - if you've seen it you know what I mean - is edited awkwardly. It didn't have the emotional punch it could have had. But the sum of these criticisms just don't add up to much when weighed against its idea, which its focus and its main point. Appropriately, the same applies to its characters. Say what you want about Christianity; you can't argue against a good will, with or without a Christian semblance.
In case it isn't clear, I would see this again. It would have been worth the trip from Toronto to Guelph to see it instead of Sucker Punch. Even in terms of visual experience, Des hommes et des dieux excels as its final shot, with shrewd focus and choreography, gives a visual representation of a concept of peace the Christian monks strive for. It was thought-provoking and more satisfying than a single frame of Sucker Punch.
I would show it to a world religions class after teaching Abrahamic religions. Christianity and Islam are put in a holistic perspective, and treated with equal respect. The film takes no sides.
I caught the last showing of the film. This week The Bookshelf starts showing The King's Speech (the original), I Love You Philip Morris, and short films from Cannes. All holdovers from 2010 that are generally acclaimed. But Source Code looks pretty good so it might be okay to go to a theatre near you now.
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