In 1989, Martin Scorsese was invited by Akira Kurosawa to come to Japan and play the part of Vincent Van Gogh in his film, Dreams. In his downtime, Scorsese came across a novel called Silence by the Japanese novelist, Shūsaku Endō, and read it. As soon as he returned to the U.S., he obtained the film rights to Silence. Fast forward to 2015 and he is finally able to make good on that purchase and begin work on his film adaptation. 26 years for a passion project is not the longest amount of time a movie has spent in development hell, but it’s up there. Silence is the last installment of a spiritual trilogy of sorts over crises of faith, following The Last Temptation of Christ and Kundun, and funnily enough, it’s the only one that didn’t receive backlash upon release, presumably because the real life figures portrayed in the film are not well known or considered sacred, like Jesus Christ or the Dalai Lama, to get religious groups up in arms.

Two young Jesuit priests, Rodrigues and Garupe, are informed that their mentor, Ferreira, has renounced his faith while acting as a missionary in Japan. Rodrigues and Garupe go to Japan, following a man named Kichijiro, who is trying to make up for renouncing his faith to save his life while the rest of his family died as martyrs. They arrive in Japan and are hidden by a local village because Christians are being killed for their beliefs and anyone hosting them is also put to death. The two priests learn that the shogunate is capturing reported Christians and making them stomp on a fumi-e (a tablet image of the crucified Christ) as a sign of them renouncing their faith, and those who do not are drowned and cremated so they cannot receive a proper Christian burial. Rodrigues and Garupe separate and Kichijiro betrays Rodrigues to the authorities, getting him captured. A man who is called The Inquisitor forces Rodrigues to witness one of these drownings, which involves hanging the Christians on simple crosses in the ocean until the tide comes in. Kichijiro is thrown in prison as well and Rodrigues hears his confession. Rodrigues is taken to meet Ferreira, who is now fully assimilated into Japanese culture, apostate, and believes Christianity does not belong in Japan. Later on, Rodrigues is taken to where five Christians are being tortured. He is informed they have already apostatized, but they will continue to be tortured until Rodrigues also apostatizes. Rodrigues struggles and wonders if it is self-centered to refuse when it will end the suffering of others. He hears a voice in his head, supposedly Jesus, telling him it’s okay to step on the fumi-e and that his purpose was to be trampled on for the sake of others, and so Rodrigues does. Rodrigues is assimilated into Japanese life and is ordered to help Ferreira sort through Danish paraphernalia to look for Christian propaganda. When Rodrigues dies, he is given a Japanese burial and his wife places a crucifix in his hand, implying that he never apostatized in his heart and remained a “Kakure Kirishitan” – a “hidden Christian”.

Silence is named for the supposed silence from God that Rodrigues wrestles with. It’s a very spiritual/psychological movie but the near-three hour runtime won’t do most people any favors. However, if you’re willing to put your brain to work, Silence is so very rewarding. The best-case scenario for most Christians is to die a martyr’s death – never verbally denying the God they claim to love – but as this movie points out, there’s also the potential for a lot of pride in that mentality. So, the film proposes a very interesting thought: Is it okay to deny Christ (even in word only) if it means others will be spared? I don’t have an answer for that, but I don’t believe it’s as cut-and-dry as others might argue. Considering how black and white theology is most of the time, it can be so interesting when there’s a grey area to explore, and that’s what makes the movie so incredible.

Bonus Review: A Hidden Life

Another film by the wonderfully poetic Terrence Malick, A Hidden Life is another true-story war film about a soldier that cannot reconcile his faith and his country’s demand that he fight and kill (if I had a nickel for every one of those I’ve seen, I’d have three nickels, which isn’t much, but it’s weird that it’s happened thrice). The only difference between this film and Hacksaw Ridge – and it is a big difference – is that Franz is Austrian, meaning his country’s authority is Adolf Hitler, and Hitler is much less forgiving of defiance against country than Americans. The film covers a lot of ground, and even though it moves slowly, it earns its three-hour runtime – a trait that it shares with Silence. Also similar to Silence, the film is a meditation on faith under God’s deafening silence and that is a theme that I think should be explored more.

Franz Jagerstatter is a farmer in the Austrian village of St. Radegund. He and his wife, Franziska, live a quiet life raising their three daughters. However, when World War II breaks out, Franz is called for basic training in the German army, spending months away from his family. However, he gets to go home when France surrenders as it’s assumed the war is almost over. However, the war continues and soon Franz and the other men of the village are called to fight. Their first requirement is to swear allegiance to Hitler and the Third Reich. Despite conversations with his neighbors, the mayor and the Bishop of Linz, Franz refuses to do so. Franz understands that his refusal will result in his imprisonment and likely his death, he remains steadfast, finding strength in Franziska and God. Franz is arrested and imprisoned, and waits several months for his trial. He and Franziska write letters to each other, and Franziska and their children deal with the hostility of the rest of the villagers. Eventually, Franziska is allowed to see Franz. They reaffirm their love for one another, and Franz stays committed to his faith in God despite God’s apparent silence in his situation. When Franz goes to trial, he is quickly found guilty and sentenced to death. He is given several more opportunities to pledge his allegiance and is also promised he will not face combat, but still he refuses. The real Franz Jagerstatter was executed by the Third Reich on August 9, 1943.

A Hidden Life, which was released in 2019, was Terrence Malick’s first plot-driven film since 2005. Because of the change in filming style, it was in post-production for over two years, slowly being pieced together in a way Malick liked, that flowed more with what he was used to. Malick, who is known for his poetic way of filming natural beauty, shines in the contemplative nature of this story. The camera moves across the mountainous German landscape and through the empty prison walls as if we are exploring it for ourselves and the movie’s narrative is happening around us. It’s very immersive. That immersion is beneficial, especially with the inward struggle Franz is going through. It allows to feel it with him. It allows us to empathize with his circumstance and pray along with him that his choice is the right one.