Silence, for Martin Scorsese, is familiar territory, no matter how different it may seem from his other films. It is his third film that deals with the inner turmoil of religious figures, following The Last Temptation of Christ and Kundun. In 17th-century Japan, Jesuit missionaries Father Rodrigues and Father Garupe are sent to both serve the Japanese Christian community at a time when being a Christian is a capital offense, and to recover Father Ferreira, who has renounced his faith. Silence is a classic Scorsese downfall story, although it's much more like Last Temptation than Goodfellas in this regard. It's an endurance round of horrors for Rodrigues, who sees his people drowned, burned alive, crucified and beheaded, all intended to break his faith until it ultimately does.
One of the best things about Silence is that it stands out in an age when Christian movies are defined by sappiness, excessive preachiness, oversimplicity, and quite frankly not being very good. This is a movie that demonstrates the challenge that faith should be. Was it easy for the Apostles? For any of the many martyrs throughout history? Is it easy for the Christians in China and parts of the Middle East today who need to worship in secret for fear of getting arrested or killed? It's easy to get caught up with living in a first world country where you can go to church and worship without fearing for your life. Too many Christian movies have protagonists for whom everything goes right, and the movies always have a conclusive, happy ending. Silence is the antithesis of that. Father Rodrigues is arrogant, prideful, plagued by doubt, and virtually everything goes wrong for him. He is a sinner. He is much more like St. Peter (whose denial is alluded to multiple times) than Christ. And yet, through his own failure a more proper path is apparent. It is also interesting that at the beginning of the movie Father Garupe is considered the weaker of them, and yet he's the one who holds firm to the point of death.
One of the main aspects of the movie, and one that is handled quite well here, is the idea of cultural compatibility. Once Rodrigues finally meets Ferreira, the latter says he apostatized because the Japanese people cannot comprehend Christianity in any depth, having only a surface level understanding. This is something so complicated, that the best thing a filmmaker can do is leave it open for interpretation, which is exactly what Silence does. One could very well argue that Rodrigues ultimately did the right thing, or that he did not. There are no clear cut answers, which doesn't always work in film, but it certainly does here.
The title certainly isn't lying, despite the intensity of the subject matter. It's a very slow-paced and quiet film, forming a stark contrast with the turmoil both inside and out. Having it as a slow burn gives time for contemplation, as there is quite a lot going on in the movie. The shots of the natural landscape make great use of the Taiwanese filming location, which is stunningly beautiful. It's a very high quality production; everything from the built environments, the costume design, and makeup/hairstyling are of top quality. The cast is excellent as well. Andrew Garfield leads as Rodrigues, Adam Driver is alongside him as Garupe. Liam Neeson is Ferreira. All three of the leading trio are excellent. It's the Japanese actors who really steal the show, particularly Yosuke Kubozuka as Kichijiro.
The climax and the ending are unforgettable, and also quite conflicting. This would be the scene toward the end where the voice of Jesus tells Rodrigues to apostatize. On one hand, this may seem to blatantly contradict the ancient idea of the holiness of martyrdom, exemplified not only by Christ himself, but also by the Apostles and a multitude of martyrs throughout the ages. On the other hand, one thing Scorsese specializes in is scenes in which there is a very thin line between what is and is not literally happening. The best example of this is the ending of Taxi Driver. In the case of Silence, it is not firmly established that the voice Rodrigues hears is literally Jesus. This is another instance of ambiguity working to the film's benefit. Some say the voice is Jesus, others say it's the devil, some say it's Rodrigues' subconscious. A case can be made for any of them, and it can have a whole different interpretation depending on whose voice it is. The movie's final shot will stick with you for the rest of your life. A scene in which the camera zooms in on one object with virtually no sound turns out to be perhaps the most powerful single shot in this legendary filmmaker's career.
Silence is quite possibly the most underrated film in Martin Scorsese's epic repertoire. It was both a box-office bomb and a big awards snub, which is unfortunate. It's not an easy film, but it's definitely worth watching. It is more than a welcome addition to the Scorsese filmography.
One of the best things about Silence is that it stands out in an age when Christian movies are defined by sappiness, excessive preachiness, oversimplicity, and quite frankly not being very good. This is a movie that demonstrates the challenge that faith should be. Was it easy for the Apostles? For any of the many martyrs throughout history? Is it easy for the Christians in China and parts of the Middle East today who need to worship in secret for fear of getting arrested or killed? It's easy to get caught up with living in a first world country where you can go to church and worship without fearing for your life. Too many Christian movies have protagonists for whom everything goes right, and the movies always have a conclusive, happy ending. Silence is the antithesis of that. Father Rodrigues is arrogant, prideful, plagued by doubt, and virtually everything goes wrong for him. He is a sinner. He is much more like St. Peter (whose denial is alluded to multiple times) than Christ. And yet, through his own failure a more proper path is apparent. It is also interesting that at the beginning of the movie Father Garupe is considered the weaker of them, and yet he's the one who holds firm to the point of death.
One of the main aspects of the movie, and one that is handled quite well here, is the idea of cultural compatibility. Once Rodrigues finally meets Ferreira, the latter says he apostatized because the Japanese people cannot comprehend Christianity in any depth, having only a surface level understanding. This is something so complicated, that the best thing a filmmaker can do is leave it open for interpretation, which is exactly what Silence does. One could very well argue that Rodrigues ultimately did the right thing, or that he did not. There are no clear cut answers, which doesn't always work in film, but it certainly does here.
The title certainly isn't lying, despite the intensity of the subject matter. It's a very slow-paced and quiet film, forming a stark contrast with the turmoil both inside and out. Having it as a slow burn gives time for contemplation, as there is quite a lot going on in the movie. The shots of the natural landscape make great use of the Taiwanese filming location, which is stunningly beautiful. It's a very high quality production; everything from the built environments, the costume design, and makeup/hairstyling are of top quality. The cast is excellent as well. Andrew Garfield leads as Rodrigues, Adam Driver is alongside him as Garupe. Liam Neeson is Ferreira. All three of the leading trio are excellent. It's the Japanese actors who really steal the show, particularly Yosuke Kubozuka as Kichijiro.
The climax and the ending are unforgettable, and also quite conflicting. This would be the scene toward the end where the voice of Jesus tells Rodrigues to apostatize. On one hand, this may seem to blatantly contradict the ancient idea of the holiness of martyrdom, exemplified not only by Christ himself, but also by the Apostles and a multitude of martyrs throughout the ages. On the other hand, one thing Scorsese specializes in is scenes in which there is a very thin line between what is and is not literally happening. The best example of this is the ending of Taxi Driver. In the case of Silence, it is not firmly established that the voice Rodrigues hears is literally Jesus. This is another instance of ambiguity working to the film's benefit. Some say the voice is Jesus, others say it's the devil, some say it's Rodrigues' subconscious. A case can be made for any of them, and it can have a whole different interpretation depending on whose voice it is. The movie's final shot will stick with you for the rest of your life. A scene in which the camera zooms in on one object with virtually no sound turns out to be perhaps the most powerful single shot in this legendary filmmaker's career.
Silence is quite possibly the most underrated film in Martin Scorsese's epic repertoire. It was both a box-office bomb and a big awards snub, which is unfortunate. It's not an easy film, but it's definitely worth watching. It is more than a welcome addition to the Scorsese filmography.