Silence

"I pray but I am lost. Am I just praying to silence?"

Filmology Rating: 3.17 out of 4

Silence tells the story of two Christian missionaries (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) who face the ultimate test of faith when they travel to Japan in search of their missing mentor (Liam Neeson) at a time when Christianity was outlawed and their presence forbidden.

Martin Scorsese, one of the most renowned writers and directors throughout the last several decades, has once again created an absolute masterpiece. For those of you unaware of his work, he has given us movies such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, Wolf of Wall street, and so many other fantastic films. The man is a genius and he has not lost his touch with Silence.

Silence has been a film that Scorsese has wanted to make for decades now. I am so happy that he did. Not very often does a movie challenge you so much emotionally and mentally. A lot of people will see the 161 minute runtime and run away screaming at the thought of seeing such a long movie about missionaries. I am telling you that it is worth it. While yes this movie was very long, it never lost my attention. That is because of how good the writing and directing was by Scorsese. He made this movie look absolutely stunning and so vividly realistic and gritty. He was able to do this because he had the help of his cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto who he teamed up with in the “Wolf of Wall Street”. They made each frame and each scene have meaning. It was truly an artistic experience to view this film.

These scenes were then acted out by the very talented Andrew Garfield (who delivered an incredible performance in this year’s Hacksaw Ridge as well), Adam Driver, and Liam Neeson (small but very impactful role). Each one of them was phenomenal and quite possibly gave their best performances to date. What made them so great was the material that they were given and how they were able to own it and make it their own. This film deals with complex emotions of struggling with ones faith in god, man, and his own inner strength to stand up for what one believes. For those who are on the fence of wanting to go see a religious movie, don't be turned away by this. Yes this has religious themes and plot points but it rides the fine line perfectly. It doesn’t glorify martyrs and it doesn’t demonize the men responsible for their persecution. It simply shows both sides and quite honestly, how wasteful it all is. I love this because it really allows the audience to question what would they do, what would they think, and how true they would stand in their beliefs no matter the hardships and consequences.

Silence will not be for everyone. A lot of people will walk out hating it and some people might even get some good naps in. However, this is one of the most realistic and honest portrayals of Christianity and religion that I have ever seen on film. Scorsese delivers another masterpiece, Garfield and Driver further establish themselves as some of the best actors of this generation, and Neeson adds another notch into his belt of great films.

Rating: See It

-Nick