Review of Silence (2017) by Hisham D — 16 Dec 2017

SILENCE is a 2016 historical drama written by MARTIN SCORSESE & JAY COCKS, directed by MARTIN SCORSESE and stars ANDREW GARFIELD, ADAM DRIVER and LIAM NEESON. The film takes place in the 17th Century, as the story of two Jesuit priests who travel to Japan in attempt to locate their mentor who is rumored to have denounced his faith public.

The story is based on the 1966 Novel of the same name by SH?SAKU ENDÕ, and begins in Portugal where our lead characters Father Rodrigues and Father Garupe, played by Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver respectively, are informed that their mentor, Father Ferreira, played by Liam Neeson, has committed apostasy during his missionary in Japan. So they volunteer to go to Japan and try to allocate him to prove whether or not he has committed that act. Once they sneak themselves there, they are faced with gut-wrenching horrors of the prosecution and torture by the Inquisitor, Inoue Chikugonokami, played brilliantly by Japanese actor Issei Ogata, of those who attempt to practice the Christian faith. As the movie goes forward, we see the trials and tribulations of Rodrigues as he gets separated from Garupe.

Once Rodrigues is captured, he is told time and again that all he has to do is publicly renounce his faith by stepping on a symbol of Christ, and Rodrigues will be free and there will be no further abuse of his fellow Catholic prisoners. But for all the torments they inflict, the Japanese inquisitors are not atypical villains. They truly believe that Christianity is incompatible with the Japanese spirit, and consider it as an alien pathogen imported by arrogant and incurious Europeans. And the film gives this case its due. And when Ferreira finally appears and we learn the truth about where he's been all this time, it fits perfectly into the central theme the film revolves about.

This is a very challenging, complex and difficult to review, because we are constantly being challenged, and isn't because it is boring or too long, which it is a two-hour and forty minutes epic about faith, but because of the brilliance and brutality of the conundrums that people of faith face when their belief is in crisis. Throughout the story, we have a series of theological conversations and asks the grand question about the value of spiritual faith in a world that has no use for it.

Although Silence has a very rich religious theme, but it shouldn't be viewed as a way to glorify martyrdom, or praising Christianity over Buddhism or any of that sort go thinking. This is a very deep intellectual and emotional movie about the conflict between doing the right, prudent and moral vs adhering to one's sacred vows and traditional beliefs. It is about how the unwavering conviction of a man of faith, even, under tremendous torture, can remain intact, until the element of people's lives become involved. It's about learning to live with struggle as well as learning to live with failures.

The performance of the entire cast was very solid by, particularly by Andrew Garfield. When the film begins, we see him as a strong, confident and energetic Rodrigues, and by the time it ends, we see how battered and bruised he becomes. And when the commanding Liam Neeson appears on-screen with him, we can resonate with the characters, and genuinely feel their emotions as their arch comes to a completion.

Although released in 2016, SILENCE was distributed in the Middle East in February 2017, so this film was one of the anticipated movies for the year. Why? Because it's Martin Scorsese. His record of TAXI, GOODFELLAS, CASINO, RAGING BULL, THE DEPARTED, GANGS OF NEW YORK, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET and HUGO, shows us that he is one of the very last directors that still provides wonderful films despite being in his 70's. It took him 26 years to finally do this passion project, and the film shows how much effort is put into it as a master craftsman.

Every frame, every wide shot, every close-space angle is meticulously gorgeous cinematography telling a complete emotional story. The film consistently puts the audience in a birds-eye-view to give us distance from the unbearable atrocities, and gives us close-ups in moments of hope and faith. Even the editing is set in an intentional slow pace to symbolize the entire concept of patience in one's own faith.

Perhaps the most prominent scene in the movie, is when the inquisition rounds up three Catholic villagers and ties them to crosses in the water, where they will be drowned by the incoming tide. The suffering and sorrow, filmed with such force and clarity by Scorsese and his cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, just keeps your eyes laser focused on the screen.

As for the musical score, well, there isn't one. One may find it jarring not to have a musical score; yet, it felt perfectly natural to have any. The film starts with a long moment of actual silence, and embraces silence throughout its running time, or something akin to silence. Wood burning, waves crashing, wind moving through grass. When "Silence" is not quiet, you wish that it were, because the soundtrack is filled with moans of pain and screams of agony and the sounds of bones being broken.

Overall, only one word can describe the direction and cinematography: masterpiece.

Is it for everybody? No. If you enter and expect a lot of action, or a fast-moving story, or a Christian vs Buddist story, then this film isn't for you. This is an extremely unconventional film, that not many will fully appreciate because it is both intellectually and faith challenging.

There are a lot of lessons to be learned from this film as it reminds us of the sacrifices of the past that led us to the present, and it also shows us that not much has changed in time. Because it is unfortunate that even in the 21st Century, one's spiritual religion is being judged, prosecuted and tortured, and begs to question if the world has become a place where religion is no longer accepted, just like in the past.