There is no argument thatrew Garfield is one of the most talented players in the industry at the moment, and there is also no support that he was absolutely stolen when he was not nominated for an Oscar for one of the most difficult roles he had. In 2016, Martin Scorsese presented an emotional and physical journey of a man of God and how his faith is tested. As Father Rodrigues, Garfield has depicted a very physically demanding role where he not only had to separate from his charming usual boy, but also going to the vulnerability that his character experiences.
Scorse Silence is based on the fictitious novel of 1966 of the same name of Shūsaku Endō endō, and the scenario is based on the real historical experiences of the Jesuit missionaries in Japan of the Edo era, in particular the story of Giuseppe Chiara, an Italian Jesuit who was tortured and renounced his faith (apostasy) in the process. In the fictitious version, Chiara becomes Father Rodrigues, a Portuguese Jesuit missionary, and Garfield becomes transcendental. Silence is indeed a long meditative journey, and it shows how faith and doubt go hand in hand, no matter how much you believe.
Scorsese revisits a piece of forgotten history
The story of Silence takes place in 17th century Japan, a period of intense political paranoia and violent suppression. The film follows two young Portuguese Jesuit priests, Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Garrpe (Adam driver), while going to the country in a secret mission to find their mentor, who would have renounced his faith under torture. What they discover is a nation where Christianity has been prohibited and its disciples are systematically chased and killed.
This is not a fictitious horror story; It is a precise representation of a real and brutal period of history, and the terror of the film is rooted in this commitment to realism. The persecution of Christians by Tokugawa Shoguret was not an act of random religious hatred, but a calculated political strategy. According to historians, during the period, Japanese leaders were deeply wary of European colonialism and considered missionaries as the first wave of a political and military invasion that threatened the unity of the nation.
The horror that takes place is therefore not chaotic, but systematic and logical. The authorities used a unique and insidious form of psychological warfare, in particular the practice of Fumi-e, who forced suspect Christians to trample on a holy image to prove their apostasy. The goal was not to create martyrs, that they knew how to be able to inspire others, but to break their morale and force them into a public act of betrayal.
Consequently, the true terror of the film is God’s “silence” in the face of this methodical and unavoidable persecution. From time to time, the public, as well as the character of Garfield, testifies to the difficulty of believing. Silence is a film which stands out as a question in visual form, asking if the silence of God is a form of blessing or the ultimate proof of the absence of a supreme being.
This is what you expect from a Scorsese film, and the ability to pass the public through all possible emotions with his story is possible each time because for him, “the most personal is the most creative”. As a filmmaker, Scorsese shared that he had a deep respect for the subject, and it was a kind of personal exploration for him, because he said once it “looked like a long prayer”. He says,
It is difficult to speak, because the questions are so deep and so basic that it seems pretentious: what is existence? Who are we? What is human condition?
Garfield as Rodrigues was vulnerable and painfully authentic
Heartbreaking history tested from Silence is carried by the incredible performance of Andrew Garfield. His character, Father Rodrigues, is a fictitious version of a real man: the Italian Jesuit priest Giuseppe Chiara. The true story of Chiara provides the dark and desperate plan for the fate of Rodrigues. In 1643, Chiara was captured in Japan, subject to torture and finally gave up his faith.
However, it was not executed. Instead, he was forced to assimilate, taking a Japanese name and living for 40 years under constant surveillance. This historical reality is the source of the dark power of the film. For Rodrigues, and for real Chiara life, there is no glorious martyrdom, only long, calm and psychologically dying life of a man who compromised his soul to survive.
The authenticity of the performance of Andrew Garfield comes from his one -year commitment in a process of deep immersion. To prepare for the role of Rodrigues, Garfield has not only sought the game; He lived it. He undertook the rigorous spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius, a fundamental Jesuit practice, which gave him a real understanding of the spiritual world that his character lives.
Martin Scorsese had tried to do Silence for about 30 years. He obtained rights on the novel in the 1960s and almost concluded an agreement in the 1990s, but legal and funding problems took a break from his project.
Garfield revealed once the basis of this process was prayer, declaring: “The majority of the process prayed … I had a year to prepare to go shoot, and I prayed for a year.” For Garfield, who admitted: “I have never prayed before,” it led to a deep change, helping him develop a “relationship with a power greater than me”.
This intense preparation, combined with a spectacular weight loss of 40 pounds, resulted directly on the screen. The trip was not only a historical precision; It was a question of connecting with the central questions of the film with a personal level. As Garfield explained, the experience was a “really deep immersion … In … how do you live a life of faith, how are we supposed to live in this chaos.”
The spiritual crisis seen on the screen is real because, in a very real way, the actor had just experienced his own version. Consequently, his representation of the crisis of faith of a priest feels won and deeply realistic, anchoring the heavy themes of the film in an experience which undeniably feels true. Father Rodrigues experiences hell on earth, and as a member of the public, we cannot help sitting and absorbing his pain, and this testifies to a successful performance.
The silent horror of silence is terrifying
Silence is a representation of horror that transcends traditional horror tropes. It is unique and stimulating. The film finds its power in a patient and a methodical representation of a human soul being slowly eroded. It is a story of endurance, and horror lies to look at a man of apparently unshakable faith, fracture, fracture and, ultimately, to break under a weight that is both physical and psychological.
Scorsese creates this feeling of dread through his choices as a director. The film’s cinematography played a huge role in creating this atmosphere where you can feel that it must be the place where the soul dies. He uses landscapes and nature to show the interior disorders of torn people. The director of photography Rodrigo Prieto was inspired by historical paintings for his executives to channel the era of feudal Japan.
Another interesting narration approach made by Scorsese is that it does not use almost no traditional musical score. The sound design of the film is very supported by natural sounds caused by strong waves of sea, rain or simple ambient noises. This forces the public to face the raw and not filtered sounds of human suffering, which are the groans of the tortured and quiet whispers of prayer.
However, the real horror of the film is by proxy. Scorsese often draws the most horrible acts of violence from Rodrigues helpless. The public is trapped in a cage with him, forced to be a powerless witness to the suffering of Japanese Christians, a torment which is inflicted for the sole purpose of breaking his will. This places the spectator in the same scary position as the main character, faced with an impossible choice.
Terror is not in a monster or ghost; It is in the feeling of being paralyzed morally and physically in the face of unbearable pain. One of the most breathtaking scenes in the film is part where some Christians are torture by waves. They are hanged on a wooden cross -structure and are linked in a crucified position, symbolizing the crucifixion of Christ. One of the men, Mokichi, took four days to die in the process after enduring torture.
Therefore, this is the point that Silence tried to do. Faith and religion are already very complex subjects for many, but once we begin to believe in something, our lives come from hope and we find peace in this spiritual field. But politics complicates our belief system. Martin Scorsese explores this brutal conflict, and it is the heartbreaking performance of Andrew Garfield, supported by Niam Leeson and Adam Driver’s Haunting Act, which ultimately makes this theological crisis so personal.
