I'm surprised by your comment. I'm having doubts about my religion, but this movie really made me feel proud to be Catholic. The parts of the mass they selected were extremely relevant. If you read (ou si vous avez écouté) the words of the hymns, you would realize how they applied their faith to their situation. They made more of a point in the Algerian village, demonstrating how Christians and Muslims can live in harmony, than back in France, where people were already turning away from the Church. And the fact that no negotiations were shown is exactly the point; the French government left them to die.