Movie Review: Silence
Despite strong storytelling, thought-provoking themes and stunning cinematography, Martin Scorsese’s religious epic about the persecution of Christians in Japan offers a rather one-sided look at faith.
You feel that you recognize some of the
locales — that mountain scene must be Yangmingshan, that rocky coastline looks
like Jinguashi — but you are not entirely sure because you’ve never been to
southern Japan. Though strangely discordant, the feeling soon disappears as the
stunning cinematography and compelling storytelling take over.
Years in the making, Scorsese’s passion
project tells the story of two Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver)
who arrive in 17th century Japan. Christians were being persecuted and
executed, but believers continued to practice in secret. The plot follows the
priests’ attempt to find their mentor (Liam Neeson), who is rumored to have
apostatized and is living as a Japanese.
It is is based on the 1966 novel of the
same name by Shusaku Endo, who wrote from the rare perspective of a Japanese
Roman Catholic. Endo himself is said to have endured religious discrimination
in Japan.
Unsurprisingly, the story is heavily skewed
toward the Western and Christian perspective, but that doesn’t mean it’s not
enjoyable. Despite running 161 minutes, there’s enough emotion, tension,
conflict and change of pacing in the film that there are few lulls.
The graphic composition of a few scenes
remain memorable days after watching the film — a bird’s eye view of three
priests, dressed in black, walking horizontally across the screen on a pure
white stairway, a lone ship crashing through an ocean of dark blue. These can
be incredibly detailed — during a cremation scene, the pyre is placed right in
front of a rock, upon which the waves crash.
Silence comes in many symbolic forms
throughout the film — the silence of God in response to the priest’s prayers,
the silence of the people who risk death to practice in secret, and the silence
of those who choose to internalize their faith instead of dying for it. It’s a
trial for Father Rodrigues (Garfield), whose faith, which defines a way of life
and all that he has known, is tested and he must decide how to move forward in
a world where all odds are against him. This unyielding faith is what drives
the film, as the tests become increasingly brutal. There’s a moral issue here —
to what extent do you hold onto your faith when not only yours, but other
people’s lives are at stake? Apostasy is just a formality here, and can be
achieved by simply trampling on an image of Jesus. Does committing the act
really mean you have turned your back on God?
We hold our breaths as things get worse, we
wonder when Rodrigues is going to snap, and we question if we would ever have
this kind of resolve.
While the Japanese characters are featured
prominently with much dialogue that presents their reasons for wanting to rid
the country of Christianity, it’s obvious that Scorsese wanted to portray them
in a stark contrast to the priests’ holy characters. They are the bad guys who
are merely obstacles to Rodrigues’ spiritual journey, and you don’t have much
room to think otherwise.
You have the wretched, cowardly guide
(Kubozuka Yousuke) who repeatedly betrays the heroes, the cruel and sarcastic
translator (Asano Tadanobu) and finally the inquisitor (Ogata Issey), who is
downright conniving and will do anything to achieve his goals. His high-pitched
tone of voice, insincere facial expressions and irritating mannerisms make him immediately
unlikeable, removing any chance for one to really ponder the Japanese
perspective. This is unfortunate because there are some pretty intriguing
metaphorical and philosophical exchanges between him and Rodrigues.
And the only “good” Japanese are the
impoverished and oppressed villagers, the Hidden Christians, living in misery
and revering the priests as saviors. They also seem like the only Japanese who
were converted, a point which could have been explored more. We know what
drives the priests, but what compels these villagers to choose death over
spitting on a cross? What were their lives before the crackdown on
Christianity?
The impressive thing is that these thoughts
and comments only popped up after the film, indicating that it was a solid piece
of entertainment. It’s a story that digs deep and can be deeply personal, even
controversial, and each person will leave the theater with different questions.
One last thing: apparently Garfield and
Driver were supposed to be talking in Portuguese-accented English. It didn’t
work at all. Neeson, for his part, didn’t even try.
It’s strange watching Silence knowing that
the entire film was shot in Taiwan despite the story being set in southern
Japan. The bulk of Martin Scorsese’s latest work is set in villages or indoors
(and in a wooden cage), but every time they show a scene of the lush coast or
rolling hills, one can’t help but wonder which part of Taiwan it was shot in.
