A film of passion, faith and betrayal

Rating: 8/10 (25 January 2017)

A long awaited passion project of Martin Scorsese's, SILENCE is a film that stays truthful to its title. One of the most immediately recognisable traits of the film is its complete lack of score. Silence is not elevated by themes and motifs, by recurring orchestral identities for the major developments of the film's soul, instead it is surrounded by the noise of birds, wind, waves and language. Silence moves at a moderate pace as it tracks the trials and tribulations its characters face as they enter Japan searching for their missing teacher, hoping to disprove the rumours of his alleged relinquishing of his Catholicism.
Both Garfield and Driver do well in their roles. Garfield's Rodriguez is the centre of the film. But he and Driver's Garrpe play in an interesting way: Garrpe appears almost as a more refined, superior version of Rodriguez; he is more faithful to his convictions, less lenient with dismissals of the faith - and he does not trust the drunk Kitchijiro so easily. An important disagreement foreshadows their fates.
Kitchijiro serves as the Judas-like character, possibly a reflection of Rodriguez's own hubris. He is a weak man, desperate and willing to toss away his religious convictions in favour of survival. An illuminating moment between him and the protagonist asks questions of the 'faithful servant of God' - in a simpler time, of much lesser sacrifices, Kitchijiro would have made a much more faithful Christian.
Silence's screen time is focuses greatly on difficult and powerful scenes of torture - often psychological it focuses on the breaking of spirits rather than gory excess. The Japanese seek to rid their country of the catholic faith - the High Inquisitor describes it as having no place to grow in Japan. Is Japan inhospitable of its own nature and culture, or have these powerful patriarchs poisoned the soil to stop its growth?
Silence, stylistically, has many classic Scorsese elements, yet sees the film-maker more restrained than usual. Silence is a quieter film. Yet he shows off his remarkable technical ability in crane shots, tracking shots, powerful uses of fog and mist and darkness; and even extended point-of-view shots capturing the action. The period detail is beautiful and Silence has many striking images - some may, in a way, remind the viewer of Akira Kurosawa, though Scorsese always retains his distinctive mark. Silence may not be Scorsese's best film, but it is an impressive, moving, gripping and stimulating one. A worthy addition to his filmography.