Silence - Ben Schultz - Be Reel Blog

Martin Scorsese's newest film, about two Jesuit priests traveling across early 1600s Japan to find their old teacher, is just as worthwhile and beautiful as it is contemplative and depressing. The film takes place mostly in the early 17th century, as two Christian missionaries, Rodrigues and Garupe, played by Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) respectively, search for their teacher in Japan where Christianity has been outlawed. The two Padres, as they are called by the remaining Japanese Christians, are shocked to see the torture and anguish that the faithful Japanese must live through. The brutality of the early Japanese shogunate is on full display here, and it is heartbreaking to see the priests' reactions to such needless violence. The movie isn't called Silence for nothing; this film is brutally quiet, with Scorsese often opting to show these people's pain through the performances of the actors and the cinematography, rather than blaring somber music over the scenes. The acting is also one of the defining features in this film. None of the performances seem underwhelming or disappointing. While the sound design and acting are incredible, no review of this movie would be complete without a mention of the cinematography. Silence is absolutely gorgeous, and I find it difficult to think of a film in recent memory that has deserved its Oscar nomination for cinematography more.
While all of these aspects serve to make the movie a great one, one of the best aspects is the subject material. Silence, while being fictional, is about a true part of history, and one that is rarely spoken of. I had never heard of the persecution of Christians in Japan before watching this movie. After researching the event more, I found that hundreds of Christians had been executed during this time period, which made it even more surprising that I had never heard of it. Silence is such an important film to watch, not only because it is a great film, but also because the subject matter is something you might not have known about otherwise.
While I have been heaping praise on this movie for the past month, one must admit that it is not without its flaws. The biggest one of these is its reluctance to show any kind of happiness. While it is impossible to talk about a subject like this without straying into dark territory, and it is important to not try and water down the source material, Silence often seems devoid of positivity. It does have its moments of comedic relief, but these moments are extremely few, and very far between, and it can sometimes be hard to watch. Despite this downside, the film is still excellent, sobering, and carries an important message that everyone should hear.