FIlmcap: The week of July 17-24

This week are two movies, one from last year I have seen and reviewed before, and one from this year that is a bit under the radar. Included is a short discussion of the double standards of martyrdom. 

Of Gods and Men (Xavier Beuvois, 2011): In recent years we've begun to unofficially define martyrdom as the same thing as Islamic martyrdom in Islamic terrorism. In this film the concept of martyrdom is associated more with the victims of terrorism than the terrorists themselves. A group of French Christian monks have a monastery in Algeria in the 1990's, but the threat of a radical Islamic terrorist group comes to them and the film centers on the discussions they then have of whether or not to stay and fulfill their goodwill (largely medical) duties to the Algerian village they are a part of, or to leave and save their lives. Despite the fact that the film is based on a true story, I won't reveal what decision they make. The discussions the monks have delve into questions of what legitimate martyrdom really is, and the importance of dying for something that's not all that important. During the course of these discussions a handful of the monks have a crisis of faith, but as you should be able to see at the end of the film that this is not an anti-religious film, but it is a film that emphasizes that every religious man and woman must go through rigorous tests of faith in life.

This is a film I've seen once, but I wish to see one more time by years end. This is because the film takes a while to find its thematic "groove." It spends a lot of time in the beginning of the film setting up where the monk's live and how their daily lives are. There are also many scenes of the monk's chanting, which are tiresome in the beginning of the film but grow more emotional and effectively add to the ever-increasing tension in the atmosphere as the film goes on. The film grabs you more and more as it goes, and it rewards you with its examination of these characters and their faith. Some scenes go on for much too long in the first half of the film, but they don't later on. This is because the main conflict of the film is not set up well enough in the first half to sustain the scenes, but later on when the tension and stakes increase, and the conflict becomes even more clear, the scenes become sustainable and even moving. I was also glad the film didn't politicize itself too much and played fairly with Islam. The terrorists are the "bad guys" per say, but the monks know that this is not a clash of religions, rather they are caught up in a internal clash between moderates and extremists in an Arab country. The film is not as amazing as it could have been which is probably why many of you may not have heard of it this year, but it's a film I would highly recommend because it's much more interesting than most other films I've seen this year.
Grade: B+

Somewhere (Sofia Coppola, 2011): I watched and reviewed this film back in January and looking back at the review I stand by everything I said in it. I liked the movie the same amount as when I watched it the first time, probably because it's quite obvious what is going to happen in the film (especially if you've seen Coppola's "Lost in Translation") and so the experience of the movie rests on taking in how the main character changes. I also included this movie on my ten best movies of 2010 list, and I don't regret that decision either, though if the list was ranked "Somewhere" would certainly be at or near the bottom of the top ten. On the repeat viewing I continued to find the films pace and cinematography refreshing and patient which made the film a very easy and enjoyable watch, though I did find the development of the character a bit more obvious now that I had seen it before. Johnny Marcos is a familiar character, and the issues and realization he goes through are not all that shocking or unique, but the way Coppola shows his realizations are unique (i.e. the opening and closing of the movie with the Ferrari). I'd still give the movie an A- grade, but I admit that it is very close to a B+.
Grade: A-