Silence

⭐ 9/10

This movie has been on my list ever since it came out, but I always knew it was a tough watch. The perfect time presented itself and I dove in. This is about two Jesuit priests, Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield, searching for an older priest and mentor, Liam Neeson, who has gone missing in Japan. Japan at this time mercilessly persecuted Christians, so they are going to find out what happened to him, but also in fear that he potentially renounced his faith, something they don't believe he could possibly do.

This movie is beautiful, two priests living as hiding hermits as they preach to smaller villages that are desperate for what they have to offer. They inevitably get caught, and then Andrew Garfield is the main character, as he witness the true pain that people go through for their belief, and his own resolve is shaken. There is pain and torture, but set starkly against stunning vistas and painterly framing. The imagery is clearly meant to evoke Christ, even blatantly shown in that way at times, so its very clear what you should be thinking about as someone with faith.

The common test here is people forced to put their foot on an image of Jesus as a way to prove that they are apostatizing. There is one interesting side character who does this multiple times, but then once he is free always begs forgiveness and clearly still believes. So the question is not just about the existence of faith, but whether you can have a silent faith. The pain and death people suffer being brave in the face of persecution appears Christ-like on the surface, glorious martyrdom, but when your faith causes others to suffer is it still so holy? As I watched I initially was wondering if my faith would be strong enough to endure something like this, but by the end you wonder if it even should be.

There is a turn at the end I found stunning, but the more I think about it it makes perfect sense, and is the natural conclusion to all that Garfield's character witnesses and endures. How God views the choices of all these characters we can never know, but the movie ends in a way I found encouraging but also somewhat disruptive to my own beliefs. I've seen many movies that have changed how I think, but its rare to find something so blatantly about religion and faith that can actually cause me to reevaluate that part of my life. I'm not renouncing faith or anything, but my perspective on the weight placed on evangelism has certainly changed over the years, with this movie marking another shift. Even taken out of the context of persecution, which North American Christians don't have any concept of, the idea of a faith that is silent is all too relatable.

I remember when Passion of the Christ came out, churches kind of acting like you had to watch so that you could fully understand the pain Jesus went through for you. I don't think that logic is completely flawed, although it certainly shouldn't be required. In fact a movie like this, that attempts to push your belief somewhere new, or possibly solidify an existing belief, feels much more vital.