I Can't Believe

Rating: 4/10 (24 December 2016)

"Silence" is en experience, a trip into the hell some "padres" went through during their attempt to spread the Christian faith in Japan during the 1600's. The film tries to give us a peek into the treatment of the priests once the locals decided to institute a policy that found the practice of forbidden doctrines illegal and punishable. When the movie opens, we go straight to the depiction of some of the ways Japanese tortured some of the Christian followers.
Next, plans are approved to start searching for one missing priest. It's the duty of two young priests to locate him, save him, maybe even do a little Christian work to save and enlighten a few souls. This is where the problem begins: There's something sloppy about the way the quest is introduced, and we have three characters who don't seem to even believe whatever comes of their mouths. One looks doubtful, the other is eager but his his eyes don't project any fire, and one seems to have wandered from another period, setting, and faith, maybe even another picture. He looks militant, irascible, doubtful this will have a positive ending. It seems as if he knows this is all futile--their enterprise and maybe the whole act of watching this film.
When the two young men arrive in Japan, our own torture begins, as we listen to dialog that is both incomprehensible and stilted. Never we get into believing that these people have any commitment to anyone but themselves. I'm not sure if it is the acting, the directing, the endless scenes that appear to go in circles, never revealing or truly pulling all the different layers of a complex theme. The setting is dark, grungy, inhospitable, and very foreign. It is never clear why they decide to start their journey in the middle of the winter, or what appears to be the very foggy season in this island. It becomes annoying.
Bring on the never ending series of psychological, physical, and amazingly, very little exploration of theological questions. In "The Last Temptation of Christ" one is willing to overlook some strange casting choices because the central figure is powerful, and well played by DeFoe, giving us a new perspective of what one of the most famous people in history must have gone through. Here, Rodriguez looks lost, both within the story, and Garfield is never anything but a selfish, whiny, and sick looking man of the cloth. I couldn't help thinking about the other long suffering fictional character of the year, Lee in "Manchester by the Sea". At least, we had a solid portrayal of pain, guilt, and impotence. "Silence" doesn't even give you a hint of any of those emotions.
In addition, the length of the film is unbearable. Much doesn't happen for minutes. We have shots of the surroundings, conversations that highlight the redundancy that weakens the film. It is not as if there was nothing to discuss or explain. It felt like a jackhammer kept going and going, keeping us from engaging, from developing any sort of rhythm and connection to the material. The depiction of the torture and persecution never stopped, getting to the point that the ordeal of the troops captured by the Japanese in a recent World War II film appeared more like a prank by a bully. The torture scenes are not something to avoid because they're too graphic; however it feels like the ones being tortured are the members of the audience because we either have to suffer through the weak dialog which goes nowhere or another way in which the bad guys show their bad qualities, and/or, the Christians keep experiencing hell.
There is a very reliable team behind the production. Sadly, there is also a pervasive realization that nothing really works. Landscapes and close ups are admirable in their clarity but drained of any emotions. The lack of musical score is jarring making the "silence" way too overbearing and boring. Costumes and sets might be accurate but feel empty because the characters are poorly presented, and I was wondering where the editor went because we could have easily removed 1/2 of the film, and we would have gotten the same amount of pertinent information. The only scenes that appeared to really work involve Liam Nesson, an actor whose presence and delivery allows us to have an idea of what really is going on. To make matters even worse, this makes every other performer look even worse.
If anyone wants to see how spirituality can be shown, with and without the explicit reference to a particular faith, through beautiful cinematography and the perfect marriage of sound and visuals, check Mallick's "The New World". For now, some real silence seems more than appropriate.