Silence is based on the Shusaku Endo novel of the same name, which tells to story of two jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) who travel to Japan in search of Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson) who is their mentor and is said to have apostatised his faith in Christianity.
The first thing to note about this film is that it isn't an easy viewing, not just because of it's subject matter but also because of the way the story is told. Unlike recent Martin Scorsese films 'Silence' makes a departure from the visual style and fast paced narratives that some might expect from his work, but instead 'Silence' opposes for a less visually playful, slower paced film, which takes it's time in exploring it's themes and characters.
While understandable, some people are disappointed with this film because of it's slow pacing, even as far to dubbing the film as being 'boring', however I believe that the slow pacing of the film makes it all the more powerful. The story delves into such deep themes that to feel the weight of the characters emotions a slow paced narrative is a complete necessity.
Silence is the type of film that does not answer questions or tie things up to their most logical point, but instead is a film that just wants you to think after it's over, and whether you like the film or not, most people will agree that it is a memorable experience.
It's quite rare today that we get a mainstream film that really wants to challenge it's audience. 'Silence' is uncompromising in every degree, from it's style, storytelling, themes and tones. Don't expect a middle ground in this film because you won't get one.
But it's all reasons for why some of you will love silence and why some of you may hate it.
As for the technical side, Scorsese's visual direction is much more reserved than usual, but each scene is memorable because he is able to capture the 'feel of the moment' and bring out some of the best performances from his actors. The performances from Garfield, Driver and Neeson are all great, but the performances from the Japanese actors including Yôsuke Kubozuka and Issey Ogata are worth equal praise.
As for flaws, I only have one. Although I said that the film should be long because of story and themes. I feel that the last 10 minutes of the film slightly outstays it welcome. However with that being said silence is a film which will stay with you and will make you question and interpret over the themes which are presented, I am going to give silence a ...
9/10
Surprisingly despite it's runtime and slow pacing, I found myself wanting to see it again. I have seen it twice in the cinema now and I am considering a third viewing. Silence is a film which comes highly recommended.
_________________________________________________________________________
If you guys want be to do an in depth analysis of Silence let me know in the comments below as it's something I am interested in doing.
Comments
Post a Comment