[B]oth “Of Gods and Men” and “Tree of Life” turn our gaze to small things of great and overlooked beauty: in one film, the waving grass, a reaching tree, a squalling baby; in the other, a monk tending a sick child; another monk pouring wine for his brothers; the communal singing of the psalms. ... “Of Gods and Men” may require some in-depth knowledge of Christianity—the notion of sacrifice, of contemplative prayer and the monastic life itself. (It may be hard to understand why the monks stay if you know nothing about the vow of obedience.) “Tree of Life,” on the other hand, can be seen by anyone who wonders about God.
--James Martin, S.J
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