Episode 30: Silence
Justin:
For a director most famously aligned with the gangster and crime genre, Martin Scorsese sure does love talking about religion. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
The main feeling I continue to have after getting through the tough sledding that is required when navigating his brilliant film, SILENCE, is how impressive it is that he’s able to make a movie about 17th century Jesuit priests and yet it somehow feels like his most personal movie. It manages to be relatable because of the spiritual questions it launches at you from the jump, knowing that hundreds of years can pass between the events of the film and today and the struggles of the soul will still remain relevant. The reconciliation of one’s own faith and the effort it takes to either keep or throw away what you’ve always believed to be true is a tale as old as time. When you consider the life-or-death ramifications of the decisions of these priests and the insane struggles they go through during the story we are witness to, it might seem like there’s no way that you or I could find common footing with this nearly 500-year-old tale. But again, questions of faith, wanting signs from God to show you that what you’re doing is right, and wondering whether you’ve been praying to silence all along all sound like things not too dissimilar from thoughts I myself have had in the past. I imagine you would probably say the same thing.
Much like 12 YEARS A SLAVE, the value of the film’s message and the pain it takes to get through is what sets it apart and makes it such an important one to see. But for my money it reaches a level above even important - I would argue it moves into that essential zone because of the deep questions and difficult thematic elements it leaves you wrestling with long after the credits roll. SILENCE is by no means a fun viewing experience, but it’s yet another masterful entry into the amazing filmography of one Martin Scorsese.
