“Of Gods and Men” has spurred a spirited debate in France over the nation’s history and its future. It might not have such a strong reception in America, given that its shocking true events took place there, not here. But it is essential viewing for anyone interested in the rise of that dangerous ideology that some observers have labeled “Islamism.” In 1996, seven French Trappist monks living in a monastery in Algeria were kidnapped by the Armed Islamic Group and then beheaded. No one knows exactly what took place in the two months between their capture and their murder. But writer-director Xavier Beauvois has movingly imagined what happened before both.

The film moves slowly in the beginning, as we come to understand how the monks conduct their daily life. The sound track is nearly silent at first, and then we hear the glorious sounds of chanting, in a mellifluous French. Most of the men aren’t handsome, though Christian (Lambert Wilson), clearly the leader, has an appealing intellectual look. But the beauty of their souls is made manifest through their singing.