Silence is an historical period drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. This movie is based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Shūsaku Endō. The film follows Jesuits Sebastião Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Francisco Garupe (Adam Driver) in their search for their mentor Cristóvão Ferreira in Japan (Liam Neeson), a man who allegedly renounced his religion. This journey takes them to a world of savagery and cruelty by the Tokugawa shogunate and the struggles our main character Rodrigues faces regarding his faith.
Is God silent? That's the main question that the films asks the viewer. Rodrigues sees all the suffering the japanese christians face each day and talks to God to find some sense in all that violence and cruelty. The lack of an answer, this "silence" that he feels is agonizing. Why do we suffer? Why does God allow suffering? Is it really worth to die for one's beliefs? The philosophical ideals and beliefs about Christianity and the japanese culture are complex and difficult to come to terms with: Are the japanese on the right side by pursuing foreigners who are trying to change their traditions? Even if they kill for it? Haven't christians done the same as well?
Our main character Rodrigues (masterfully portrayed by Garfield) is a man who is fighting against himself. Someone who is not sure if his God will answer to his prayers or will always remain silent. Believing is hard, even if He gave humanity his son to die for our sins. God is silent, but Rodrigues isn't and tries his best to protect the people while trying to keep his faith intact. However, every man has a breaking point.
The theme of apostasy is another topic I would like to talk about, since the japanese authorities want their people to deny God, because it is unacceptable for them. If they deny God in front of the authorities, are they really abandoning their christian life style? Can you act like a non-believer, but at heart be loyal to God?
Another thing that I found intriguing is that there is no soundtrack in the film in order to create this "silence" throughout the story, just beautiful landscapes, cicadas singing, the waves crashing into the beach and the presence of God looming over in a chaotic world.
As said before, I'm not a religious man, but Silence made me understand what a man goes through when they believe in something greater than themselves and how a concept like God, which we barely "get", can redefine humanity's existence into something sacred and beautiful. Some believe, some don't, but universal concepts like love and forgiveness are core values of what makes us what we are and I hope that someone watches this film to learn more about the human condition and understand that remaining true to oneself is the key to find peace in an existence that not always gives us the answers we seek.
The theme of apostasy is another topic I would like to talk about, since the japanese authorities want their people to deny God, because it is unacceptable for them. If they deny God in front of the authorities, are they really abandoning their christian life style? Can you act like a non-believer, but at heart be loyal to God?
Another thing that I found intriguing is that there is no soundtrack in the film in order to create this "silence" throughout the story, just beautiful landscapes, cicadas singing, the waves crashing into the beach and the presence of God looming over in a chaotic world.
As said before, I'm not a religious man, but Silence made me understand what a man goes through when they believe in something greater than themselves and how a concept like God, which we barely "get", can redefine humanity's existence into something sacred and beautiful. Some believe, some don't, but universal concepts like love and forgiveness are core values of what makes us what we are and I hope that someone watches this film to learn more about the human condition and understand that remaining true to oneself is the key to find peace in an existence that not always gives us the answers we seek.
