SilenceOnly when there is quiet, when there is silence, can you hear...listen. Silence is the story of a young Jesuit priest from 17th century Portugal named Sebastião Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield), who along with his colleague and friend, Francisco Garupe (Adam Driver), journey to Japan in order to seek out what happened to their mentor, Father Cristóvão Ferreira (Liam Neeson). Father Ferreira has been rumored to have "apostasized", turned his back on his faith, because it is known that under the current rule in Japan, Christianity is outlawed and punishable by death. Rodrigues' journey is both one into a foreign world and one which forces him to come to terms with the basis of his own faith.
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Silence is a historical drama, as well as a religious film, adapted by Martin Scorsese from the novel of the same name by Shūsaku Endō. It is a contemplative film, one which is full on all fronts with deeply challenging themes, including the power religion holds and why those in power fear it. Rodrigues comments that it has only been comparatively recently that Christianity was outlawed in Japan, and the persecution of its faithful has resulted in the killings of thousands of devout worshipers. The threat that Christianity presents to Japan is perhaps best represented through a parable the chief inquisitor in Nagasaki, Inoue Masashige (Issey Ogata). He tells Rodrigues a story of a "daimyo" (feudal lord) who has four concubines all fighting for control of the ruler, and he compares the women to the four world powers at that time: Spain, Portugal, Holland, and England. His perception of the incursion of Christianity is like that of an invasion by the West on his land; his response to torture and tear up its roots is handled in the same kind of fashion, albeit with a significant degree of mind games involved. What Inoue understands is that in order for him to triumph in the face of his presumed foe, he cannot simply kill the followers--he must demoralize and break their faith at a fundamental level. To this end, Inoue employs an "interpreter" (Tadanobu Asano), who speaks Portuguese fluently, and is really made to seduce Rodrigues into the idea of apostasizing by making him perceive himself as the root of the suffering of the common people. In reality, however, the government of Japan is not dissimilar to the Nazis; this is clear in their fervor to wipe out a religious idea which does not align with their own, and in their fascistic savagery. Inoue and his followers treat the poor folk with disdain and vitriol not only because they are Christians, but because they are poor and they are without recourse. The irony is that the devout Christians' faith is only made stronger by the persecution--as Rodrigues says, "the Christian church is founded on the blood of martyrs". Thus, Inoue and his government are the true invaders, the true monsters who have invaded their nation, even if from within.
Rodrigues and Garupe are fervent in their desire to "rescue" Ferreira--if not his person, then at least his soul. The opening of Silence shows what Ferreira describes in his last received message, the missive aged by years and smuggled into Portugal. He describes the cruel tortures inflicted upon his fellow Jesuits, but speaks of how they requested to be tortured to show the strength of their convictions. Arguably one of the most significant themes in Silence is the lesson of humility and how pride masks our faith and devotion--it is, in essence, bearing false witness. What Rodrigues and Garupe witness in Japan, in villages like Tomogi and Gotō, are men and women who cry out for the grace of God, and have suffered so monumentally that it is as if they are experiencing their own version of the Passion of Christ. Men like the kind Mokichi (Shinya Tsukamoto), who gifts Rodrigues a form of a "widow's mite" in a small, handmade crucifix, are themselves crucified, tortured for following a doctrine not expressly approved by the government. These are poor fishermen who live on islands away from civilization at large, but they are also still required to pay taxes, and are subjugated by the military might of men like Inoue. Is their faith really a love for God or is it the natural reaction to those who are oppressed by horrifying tyranny? Many of the faithful Japanese struggle to get the name of God right--they call out for "Deusu" in their woe as they are persecuted, the name derived from the Latin mass which Rodrigues and Garupe offer. But these are words they do not understand, from a language which is not native to either of these cultures. Ferreira makes the argument that the Japanese cannot understand the real message of Christianity, because a worship of nature is so deeply rooted in their culture. Silence is a film which--aptly and surprisingly at almost three hours in length--does not possess any musical score. However, in the opening and closing of the film, there are long moments of darkness in which the sounds of nature--crickets chirping and other wildlife--feels both serene and oppressive, a consuming void. "In the beginning, there was darkness..."
The search for Ferreira is like the same one taken in novels like Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" or the film, Apocalypse Now. As it is in the latter, Rodrigues is forced to understand his former teacher as he confronts the reason he himself is a Christian. Both Inoue and the interpreter--and later Ferreira--challenge his beliefs, claiming that it is "pride" which has kept Rodrigues from abating in his faith, and in that, he has allowed many innocent people to suffer. The reality, however, is that it is men like Inoue who are actually the ones inflicting the torture, but it is a psychological torture which they use to break down Rodrigues and thus the Christianity he represents. Rodrigues envisions the visage of Jesus Christ with the crown of thorns on his brow, depicted with the kind of tortuous gauntness found in the works of the classical painter known as El Greco. But at one point, as Rodrigues stares into a pool of rainwater, half delirious from malnourishment and dehydration, he sees the face of Jesus supplanting his own, and breaks out into laughter. Even though Rodrigues believes himself to be a good man...a devout man seeking to spread the gospel far and wide as the "truth" he believes it to be, he is forced to discover that the pride he has in his faith is stronger than his grace. Both he and Garupe discover that the Japan they are smuggled into by their jittery, even scared guide, Kichijiro (Yōsuke Kubozuka), is an ugly world, where wretched people are treated as beasts. Rodrigues narrates that these are the true beloved of Christ, because it is hard to love the destitute and corrupt; but he says this to the audience while he is clean and comparatively comfortable, in a position of safety and even power, handing out beads of his rosary and tiny wicker crosses. The best test of Rodrigues' faith is actually Kichijiro, who confesses to Rodrigues--over and over--about how he is not worthy for forgiveness, because he still feels the guilt of watching his family burned alive after they would not defile the image of Jesus as he did. Considering the period in which Silence is set, the film shares some stylistic commonalities and context with some of the most beloved works by Akira Kurosawa, such as The Seven Samurai. In fact, Kichijiro is very similar to the semi-reformed bandit from that film played by Toshiro Mifune. Both men are ragged and distrusted by all around them, and yet both exist as the heart of the true themes of the films. Kichijiro is the sinner who needs forgiveness, even if it is over and over, and even if it means he is untrustworthy. Similarly, Kichijiro also recalls Judas from the Gospel; he tells Rodrigues how the government is willing to offer literal pieces of silver for the apprehension of priests like Rodrigues. Much of the Japan shown in Silence is enshrouded in fog. This suggests the concealed faith which must be kept hidden from the government, something Rodrigues observes was the case in the early days of the Church as well. But it also reflects a kind of inability to fully grasp the big picture and understand the very foreign world this young priest from Portugal has stepped into, a place where he is as lost in navigating the land as he is deep down in his faith when pressed to the extreme.
Language and understanding is another core theme of Silence, especially how it relates to faith and culture. Rodrigues and Garupe come to Japan knowing only a little Japanese, although many of the islanders understand Portuguese to a better degree. They have known priests prior to Rodrigues and Garupe, so it makes sense that they have had that exposure, but the key difference is that they have listened to the language and done so because it gives them a better understanding of the "way" which has been shown to them as the way to "Paradiso"...to paradise. It is not that Rodrigues doesn't care for his flock--he visibly suffers when his worshipers are tortured and executed--but that the barrier of his pride has prevented him from challenging what he has come to understand as the immutable "truth"; and this is ultimately how Inoue and the interpreter break him down. Inoue's manner is both confident and condescending, resembling the Captain from Cool Hand Luke, and the interpreter is especially convincing in his logic, resembling the German lawyer defending the Nazi judges in Judgment at Nuremburg. They understand from a "Zen-like" perspective that something which will not bend will break. Notice how Inoue, the interpreter, and even Ferreira speak often--and more terrifyingly, in a rational, calculated way--of the problems the presence of Christianity presents for Japan. Their words are like the silver tongue of the devil, in the gardens of Eden and Gethsemane, doing far worse than simple torture by trying to seduce and guilt Rodrigues into believing that his faith is wrong...claiming the suffering he experiences is a result of it, and not some other source. Ferreira is the precursor to Rodrigues, and his pupil is essentially still following in his master's footsteps. Ferreira himself shares an Eastern saying with Rodrigues, to the effect that you can "move the mountains...but you cannot change man's nature", during a philosophical confrontation reminiscent to the sermons of Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. This mantra underscores the naturalistic faith which Ferreira claims is at the root of Japanese culture, an opinion which also carries the suggestion of latent frustration at having failed in his own efforts to evangelize. Just as icons of Christianity are venerated by the Japanese Christians, so does the inquisition employ icons like the plaque of Jesus or the Virgin Mary as a means to test the faith--or lack thereof--in their prisoners. Inoue and his soldiers demand that in order to be spared from punishment, the Christians must place their feet on the plaque set before them, a display they describe as a "formality" to reject Christ and let shame take its place. The government in Japan uses even this simple measure because culturally, they know that shame is something which lingers and cannot be expunged as suggested by priests like Rodrigues, who proselytize a religion which submits the radical idea that through confession, one can purge the weight of one's soul. In this, the inquisition uses a similar way of combating Christianity as how the missionaries like Rodrigues and Ferreira have shared the faith before-- by using icons of worship as a weapon against it in order to subvert the message and poison its roots with its own version of "truth". The greatest paradox for those in a crisis of faith is often whether God truly exists, because they cannot hear his reply when they offer up their prayers. The title is a direct call to the "silence" of God, but the reply is to ask how one can hear the reply when one cannot listen for the human desires and fears which are the sins that makes up all of us?
Recommended for: Fans of a deeply spiritual and moving film about faith and the challenges that come when forced to confront it within ourselves. It is a haunting masterpiece which raises powerful, fundamental questions, and a bold work by a master filmmaker at the acme of his craft.
Rodrigues and Garupe are fervent in their desire to "rescue" Ferreira--if not his person, then at least his soul. The opening of Silence shows what Ferreira describes in his last received message, the missive aged by years and smuggled into Portugal. He describes the cruel tortures inflicted upon his fellow Jesuits, but speaks of how they requested to be tortured to show the strength of their convictions. Arguably one of the most significant themes in Silence is the lesson of humility and how pride masks our faith and devotion--it is, in essence, bearing false witness. What Rodrigues and Garupe witness in Japan, in villages like Tomogi and Gotō, are men and women who cry out for the grace of God, and have suffered so monumentally that it is as if they are experiencing their own version of the Passion of Christ. Men like the kind Mokichi (Shinya Tsukamoto), who gifts Rodrigues a form of a "widow's mite" in a small, handmade crucifix, are themselves crucified, tortured for following a doctrine not expressly approved by the government. These are poor fishermen who live on islands away from civilization at large, but they are also still required to pay taxes, and are subjugated by the military might of men like Inoue. Is their faith really a love for God or is it the natural reaction to those who are oppressed by horrifying tyranny? Many of the faithful Japanese struggle to get the name of God right--they call out for "Deusu" in their woe as they are persecuted, the name derived from the Latin mass which Rodrigues and Garupe offer. But these are words they do not understand, from a language which is not native to either of these cultures. Ferreira makes the argument that the Japanese cannot understand the real message of Christianity, because a worship of nature is so deeply rooted in their culture. Silence is a film which--aptly and surprisingly at almost three hours in length--does not possess any musical score. However, in the opening and closing of the film, there are long moments of darkness in which the sounds of nature--crickets chirping and other wildlife--feels both serene and oppressive, a consuming void. "In the beginning, there was darkness..."
The search for Ferreira is like the same one taken in novels like Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" or the film, Apocalypse Now. As it is in the latter, Rodrigues is forced to understand his former teacher as he confronts the reason he himself is a Christian. Both Inoue and the interpreter--and later Ferreira--challenge his beliefs, claiming that it is "pride" which has kept Rodrigues from abating in his faith, and in that, he has allowed many innocent people to suffer. The reality, however, is that it is men like Inoue who are actually the ones inflicting the torture, but it is a psychological torture which they use to break down Rodrigues and thus the Christianity he represents. Rodrigues envisions the visage of Jesus Christ with the crown of thorns on his brow, depicted with the kind of tortuous gauntness found in the works of the classical painter known as El Greco. But at one point, as Rodrigues stares into a pool of rainwater, half delirious from malnourishment and dehydration, he sees the face of Jesus supplanting his own, and breaks out into laughter. Even though Rodrigues believes himself to be a good man...a devout man seeking to spread the gospel far and wide as the "truth" he believes it to be, he is forced to discover that the pride he has in his faith is stronger than his grace. Both he and Garupe discover that the Japan they are smuggled into by their jittery, even scared guide, Kichijiro (Yōsuke Kubozuka), is an ugly world, where wretched people are treated as beasts. Rodrigues narrates that these are the true beloved of Christ, because it is hard to love the destitute and corrupt; but he says this to the audience while he is clean and comparatively comfortable, in a position of safety and even power, handing out beads of his rosary and tiny wicker crosses. The best test of Rodrigues' faith is actually Kichijiro, who confesses to Rodrigues--over and over--about how he is not worthy for forgiveness, because he still feels the guilt of watching his family burned alive after they would not defile the image of Jesus as he did. Considering the period in which Silence is set, the film shares some stylistic commonalities and context with some of the most beloved works by Akira Kurosawa, such as The Seven Samurai. In fact, Kichijiro is very similar to the semi-reformed bandit from that film played by Toshiro Mifune. Both men are ragged and distrusted by all around them, and yet both exist as the heart of the true themes of the films. Kichijiro is the sinner who needs forgiveness, even if it is over and over, and even if it means he is untrustworthy. Similarly, Kichijiro also recalls Judas from the Gospel; he tells Rodrigues how the government is willing to offer literal pieces of silver for the apprehension of priests like Rodrigues. Much of the Japan shown in Silence is enshrouded in fog. This suggests the concealed faith which must be kept hidden from the government, something Rodrigues observes was the case in the early days of the Church as well. But it also reflects a kind of inability to fully grasp the big picture and understand the very foreign world this young priest from Portugal has stepped into, a place where he is as lost in navigating the land as he is deep down in his faith when pressed to the extreme.
Language and understanding is another core theme of Silence, especially how it relates to faith and culture. Rodrigues and Garupe come to Japan knowing only a little Japanese, although many of the islanders understand Portuguese to a better degree. They have known priests prior to Rodrigues and Garupe, so it makes sense that they have had that exposure, but the key difference is that they have listened to the language and done so because it gives them a better understanding of the "way" which has been shown to them as the way to "Paradiso"...to paradise. It is not that Rodrigues doesn't care for his flock--he visibly suffers when his worshipers are tortured and executed--but that the barrier of his pride has prevented him from challenging what he has come to understand as the immutable "truth"; and this is ultimately how Inoue and the interpreter break him down. Inoue's manner is both confident and condescending, resembling the Captain from Cool Hand Luke, and the interpreter is especially convincing in his logic, resembling the German lawyer defending the Nazi judges in Judgment at Nuremburg. They understand from a "Zen-like" perspective that something which will not bend will break. Notice how Inoue, the interpreter, and even Ferreira speak often--and more terrifyingly, in a rational, calculated way--of the problems the presence of Christianity presents for Japan. Their words are like the silver tongue of the devil, in the gardens of Eden and Gethsemane, doing far worse than simple torture by trying to seduce and guilt Rodrigues into believing that his faith is wrong...claiming the suffering he experiences is a result of it, and not some other source. Ferreira is the precursor to Rodrigues, and his pupil is essentially still following in his master's footsteps. Ferreira himself shares an Eastern saying with Rodrigues, to the effect that you can "move the mountains...but you cannot change man's nature", during a philosophical confrontation reminiscent to the sermons of Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. This mantra underscores the naturalistic faith which Ferreira claims is at the root of Japanese culture, an opinion which also carries the suggestion of latent frustration at having failed in his own efforts to evangelize. Just as icons of Christianity are venerated by the Japanese Christians, so does the inquisition employ icons like the plaque of Jesus or the Virgin Mary as a means to test the faith--or lack thereof--in their prisoners. Inoue and his soldiers demand that in order to be spared from punishment, the Christians must place their feet on the plaque set before them, a display they describe as a "formality" to reject Christ and let shame take its place. The government in Japan uses even this simple measure because culturally, they know that shame is something which lingers and cannot be expunged as suggested by priests like Rodrigues, who proselytize a religion which submits the radical idea that through confession, one can purge the weight of one's soul. In this, the inquisition uses a similar way of combating Christianity as how the missionaries like Rodrigues and Ferreira have shared the faith before-- by using icons of worship as a weapon against it in order to subvert the message and poison its roots with its own version of "truth". The greatest paradox for those in a crisis of faith is often whether God truly exists, because they cannot hear his reply when they offer up their prayers. The title is a direct call to the "silence" of God, but the reply is to ask how one can hear the reply when one cannot listen for the human desires and fears which are the sins that makes up all of us?
Recommended for: Fans of a deeply spiritual and moving film about faith and the challenges that come when forced to confront it within ourselves. It is a haunting masterpiece which raises powerful, fundamental questions, and a bold work by a master filmmaker at the acme of his craft.