Silence Review (2016)

Silence

  I have literally never heard a movie theater so quiet. Even when this film ended, you could hear a pin drop. Nobody said anything, nobody clapped, everyone just stayed in their seats and waited for the credits to end.

  The whole time I was watching this, I felt like I was holding my breath. It's just one of those movies that grips you with its relentless storytelling and refuses to let go. 

  If you don't already know the plot, Silence is the story of two Jesuit priests who go to Japan for missionary work and to see if a former priest has truly apostatized or if it's just slander. This film was extremely hard to watch, but at the same time you can't look away.

  The cinematography was just mesmerizing, all of these beautiful long shots of the exotic locations. It was so moody and evoked this feeling of being in an unfamiliar, hostile environment, but also a beautiful and hopeful one.

  Andrew Garfield blew me away in this film, giving the best performance I've ever seen from him. It's going to be a tight race between the male Oscar contenders this season, but he definitely deserves to be up there. For such a young actor, Garfield has this maturity about his work. He's able to emote in a way that is both raw, honest, and vulnerable. Absolutely stellar.

  This was a deeply beautiful film in a lot of ways, but it's also a conversational piece that takes some interesting stances on its own religious beliefs. Silence was adapted from a book written by a Japanese Catholic and is also directed by a Catholic. As a non-denominational Christian myself, I tried to be as objective as I possibly could when watching this film. Still, at times I felt some of the moral questions and conclusions betrayed even their own faith. Without going into spoiler territory, I will say that the third act takes a very unexpected turn, and asks some very interesting questions. This turn kind of left a bad taste in my mouth, but also stayed in my head long after I left the theater. 

  Silence is a powerful film that makes you think and leaves a lot open for different interpretations. Would I watch this two hour and forty minute film again? I don't know. It isn't a film you really sit down and enjoy. Silence is gut-wrenching, heavy, and tragic. It doesn't try to pull at your heartstrings, it just straight rips them right out of your chest while your heart is pumping. And while I'm still not sure what to think hours after the film ended, I'm glad that I got to experience it and I highly respect it.  9 out of 10 stars (I'd Buy It On Blu-Ray)