Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Silence. To many, it might seem like one of those movies doesn’t belong. However, I’m here to tell you that they all belong, because they’re all masterpieces from Martin Scorsese, including the latter.
Not too long ago, I questioned what Scorsese’s best decade was. Even though I settled upon the ‘80s, I really considered putting the 2010s, since he had one hell of a ten year run. Well, in that decade, I feel like his crowning achievement wasn’t The Wolf of Wall Street (or any Scorsese movie starring Leo), but rather 2016’s Silence.
Based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Shuzaku Endo, Silence is one of my all-time favorite Scorsese movies. Here’s why.
It’s One Of Scorsese’s Most Challenging Movies To Date…In A Good Way
Now, Scorsese is not what I would consider a “fun” director. What I mean is, he doesn’t mix action movies with his serious work like Spielberg does (sometimes even within the same year). That said, I wouldn’t say he’s a director who regularly makes “deep” movies, either (like, he’s no Tarkovsky making complex films like Stalker).
No, he just makes good (oftentimes great) movies. In other words, he doesn’t typically make “challenging” films that most people find boring. But, sometimes he does, and Silence is one of those films.
Now, I know I just said it’s “boring,” but I also said “most people.” The story is about two Portuguese Jesuit priests (played by Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) who travel to ancient Japan to find their superior (Liam Neeson) who is believed to have given up the faith. However, once they arrive, they learn just how challenging it is to remain Christian, as Japan wants no part of it.
The priests are forced to either give up their faith, or suffer, and the “silence” is the non-response from God as his followers are tortured and killed in His name. Challenging stuff! Also slow, demanding-of-your-patience, stuff. Some might see this as a strike against it, but I feel it really rewards you if you’re willing to see it through. It’s masterful!
With Its Religious Angle, It Also Feels Like One Of Scorsese’s Most Personal Films
My dad has a funny story. He attended Cardinal Hayes, which is an all-boys Catholic high school in the Bronx, and said that both Scorsese and Regis Philbin were alumni. But, while the school constantly brought up Philbin’s name, he said they didn’t say a peep about the filmmaker. It’s almost as if (as my dad puts it), “They didn’t want to associate with a guy who puts the F-word in everything.”
Now, I don’t know if that’s still the case (or even if it was entirely true back then), but that has always been the interesting thing about Scorsese. On one hand, he makes these violent gangster movies like Goodfellas (or, a superior gangster film like Casino – I said what I said). On the other hand, he makes deep, introspective films, some of which are based on the questioning of faith like The Last Temptation of Christ, Kundun, and yes, Silence.
Of the three I just mentioned, the last feels the most personal. Through Andrew Garfield’s character, we almost get a sense that he’s an avatar for Scorsese himself. He wants to believe, but it’s often hard, or even impossible in a violent world.
Throughout the film, there are temptations for Garfield’s character to denounce God, but his faith is just too foundational to him. Too baked in, and he suffers because of it. In that way, Silence feels like it’s as much about the character’s faith as it is Scorsese’s.
Andrew Garfield Gives The Performance Of A Lifetime
Garfield can pretty much do it all (I mean, he’s my favorite Spider-Man for a reason). However, I don’t think he has ever had such a nuanced, revelatory performance as he had here.
In the film, he plays Sebastiao Rodrigues, a Catholic Jesuit priest who has his faith tested time and time again. Throughout the story, it’s demanded of him to step on an image of Christ in denunciation of his faith. When he decides not to do it, others have to suffer in his stead, and he constantly wonders if it’s selfish to keep the faith when others are being punished because of him.
You can see the torment written all over Garfield’s face. Throughout the film, he watches people be tortured, and he feels like he’s to blame. When he reaches out to God, he is met with silence until a crucial moment, when he finally feels he hears the voice of Jesus. This causes him to publicly disavow his faith, but you can tell in Garfield’s expressions that he’s holding onto his beliefs as closely as possible.
It’s genuinely painful to watch. You can see that Rodrigues is caught between his faith and his morality, and none of it would work if Garfield couldn’t showcase both in his performance. All of the acting in this film is phenomenal, but his talent truly stands out.
Japan Has Probably Never Looked So Beautiful…Or Punishing
I went to Japan last summer (it took me 26 hours and seven new-to-me movies, there and back!), and it was the experience of a lifetime. Japan is such a unique, wonderful country steeped in tradition and culture that there really is nothing else like it. I would go back in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately, vacations cost money, so I guess I’ll just have to settle with seeing the country in movies and TV shows. Now, Silence was actually filmed in Taiwan, but the 17th-century Japan presented here truly is beautiful…and yet incredibly punishing.
Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto really created a convincing, gorgeous Japan, and it almost feels like a character in itself. The crashing waves are tempestuous, almost like the emotions that are swirling in our Christian characters. Or, like the clash of belief systems that is presented here. The rural greenery feels both natural, but also alien, making us feel like our characters are trapped in an antagonistic paradise.
It’s all of these conflicting elements that paint Japan as a beautiful, and yet uninviting place, and I really can’t think of many other films where the setting just makes you feel the struggle of our protagonists, especially when it comes to a Scorsese movie.
That Ending Really Sticks With You
I love Scorsese’s entire filmography, but, here’s the thing. Even though I think he pretty much always sticks the landing, few of his movies actually have excellent final shots. For example, I can probably tell you how all of his best films end, but I’d have a hard time telling you the very last shot before the credits.
This isn’t really a problem, per se, but a final shot can really burn itself into your memory for a lifetime. Like, I can remember Joe Pesci firing a gun at the camera at the end of Goodfellas, but I have a difficult time remembering the last shot in Scorsese’s other movies. Except when it comes to Silence, which has such a potent final shot that I truly think it encapsulates the entire movie.
I won’t spoil what happens since I want you to watch the movie for yourself, but I can tell you that when it ended, I just said, “Wow.” In fact I still frequently think about the film’s final shot, and how much it impacted me as both a viewer, and as a Catholic.
What do you think? Have you seen Silence before? I’d love to hear your thoughts.