Silence (2016)
Silence has never been so pitiful.
Presentation:
Scorsese strays from his usual forte to experiment and give us a story of Christian missionaries being persecuted in feudal Japan. The film is beautifully shot in contrast to the cruel and barbaric plot that befalls upon the characters. I believe the film will manage to garner sympathy regardless of your religious background as it goes beyond belief into humanity. It maybe be difficult to watch for the more squeamish with its torture, as it’s likely going to be targeted at religious audiences.
Conclusion:
The film ultimately feels like it is dragging on forever for its 2h40m runtime. But its duration doesn’t mean it’s an epic as it’s mostly just drama elements which are only made bearable by the sensitive performance of Andrew Garfield. I cannot imagine many other actors that would be able to hold your attention for this long or make you care about their plight, but for many it won’t be enough. He’s a great actor and seems to be leaving a legacy of emotional performances, but there’s only so much suffering before we will be internally yelling at him out of frustration. This is likely the response Scorsese wishes to elicit, but it’s still not one of his best cinematic experiences.
Recommendations
World building that will leave you wanting to go back to hell.