I am always wary when a film of notable scope and pedigree such as Silence is largely ignored during awards season. Either I'm reading too much into its lack of critical chatter, or the film is a dud. I was hoping the former. After all, master director Martin Scorsese has had this film in the oven on slow-cook since the nineties, so my hopes were high.
Silence is based on Shūsaku Endō's 1966 historical novel about the persecution of Christians in 17th-century Japan. Two Portuguese Jesuit priests, Rodrigues and Garupe (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver), leave for Japan in search of one of their own (Ferreira, played by Liam Neeson) who's believed to have renounced his faith and "gone native". In doing so, both have their faith tested as they encounter extreme torment in a land that is "like a swamp" and incapable of adopting the Christian faith. Shūsaku Endō's story is remarkably similar to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness which also received cinematic treatment with Apocalypse Now. But where Apocalypse Now was a personal film for Ford Coppola due to hardships he encountered while filming, Silence is a personal film to Scorsese because the source material clearly resonates with his own faith. However, this might've clouded his filmic judgement, because like its protagonists, Silence tests your patience.
I really wanted to like this film, but like an unrequited love, I found myself losing interest and giving up the chase. Large chunks were unengaging, slow, and dare I say it ... boring. Putting in extra effort to peel back layers of dubious Portuguese accents and gratuitous melodrama does reward the viewer with glimpses of Scorsese genius; his intentional use of the camera, his interesting treatment of sound - basically, Silence looks and sounds great. But, that's slim pickings for a film that promised so much more.
I have never felt this way about a Scorsese film before. So, like the Jesuit priests, I started to doubt my faith in the great director. Must I apostatise like the film's Christian subjects? Maybe I was lacking the piety of a true film critic. Or perhaps this was a test and so I should wait for enlightenment. Like any great cinematic journey, the destination only begins to fully reveal itself long after you've left the theatre. So, wait I did ... nothing. Waited further ... silence. Sorry Martin.
Rating: 2.5 stars
