Des dieux et des hommes

There's a film out which I knew I'd have to go and see, which kind of touches lots of bases. It's called "Des dieux et des hommes" and it is the story of a little monastery in the Atlas mountains which has been there for generations and seen a village grow up around it. The village and the villagers are Muslim, but the monastery is French Roman Catholic. The villagers are looked after by the monks, who sort out their administration, read and write for some of them, advise them on all sorts of matters and run a dispensary.

Then the islamists start their campaign. They slaughter some French people working in a quarry. They kill some local folk who are not conforming to their rules. And they threaten the monastery.

I won't say any more, but at the end of the film, which we saw in the little cinema in Pessac, the atmosphere in the cinema was extraordinary. Everyone stood up one by one and walked out in silence.

A remarkable film.

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