A show of moral courage in the face of implacable ignorance and bigotry is a noble theme in any art form and is especially needed in these anxious, ambivalent times. The French film Of Gods and Men, written and directed by Xavier Beauvois, ranks with A Man for All Seasons and The Passion of the Christ as a window into the dilemma of humanity in an era of religious fanaticism and violence. Set in a Trappist monastery during the Algerian civil war of the 1990s, the movie inevitably invites ruminations on events right now in Libya, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and on and on. It is profoundly Christian, but also ecumenical and humanistic.

Mark Salter, former McCain staffer, reviews the film ably for RealClearPolitics and comments on the irony that the French sent this to Hollywood as their nominee for best foreign film of 2010, but that the Academy failed to put it even in the list of nominees. It did win the "Best Foreign Film" award of the National Board of Review.

My wife and I left the theater in Seattle feeling edified and uplifted. Even non-believers will have that experience if they allow themselves the quiet contemplation that the film proposes.

Do you doubt that there are martyrs in our day?