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Page 58<br />
Considering how important it is for us to understand the conflict at the heart<br />
of Silence, Scorsese spends almost no time explaining the backstory. The Portuguese<br />
were not met with armed resistance at first. When they came to Japan originally, they<br />
intended to spread God the old-fashioned way: with goods and money. Japan had its<br />
own philosophical heritage that stood decidedly apart from Christianity. Even when<br />
you say “Shinto,” that’s not a single faith you’re describing or one set of standards.<br />
Buddhism also is made up of any number of specific practices and teachings and<br />
traditions. It was a culture where faith was already fragmented, and the introduction<br />
of Catholicism was seen as cancerous. Missionaries were banned, and foreign<br />
religions were declared illegal. Anyone in Japan became Kakure Kirishitans, and it is<br />
that environment where the film picks up. Rodrigues and Garrpe hear stories about<br />
what happened to Ferreira, and there are reports that he has become an apostate,<br />
that he is now an enemy of the Church, and that he has renounced Christ. Rodrigues<br />
and Garrpe were trained by Ferreira, and it shakes both of them at the core of their<br />
own faith to think that anything could break him, that anything could cause him to<br />
turn on God.<br />
As with the novel, much of Silence is communicated through letters that<br />
Rodrigues writes, and there is a methodical, quiet rhythm to the cutting of the film.<br />
Even when the film suddenly erupts with terrible violence, there is a restraint to the<br />
way it is handled onscreen. Scorsese is more concerned about what these torments<br />
are doing to the souls of the faithful than their bodies for once, and I suspect this<br />
film will be a commercial misfire upon initial release. Like Kundun, though, this is a<br />
film that will reward repeat viewing, and it is a film of small gestures, of honest<br />
observation, and that’s how it connects to his other work. Once again, it is the<br />
cumulative impact of the smallest things that defines the story that Scorsese is<br />
telling. Kundun opens and closes with a sand mandala, a temporary painting that is<br />
created simply to be blown away again. It is impermanent art, demanding massive<br />
amounts of time and attention only to be wiped clean once it is finished. This is the<br />
journey the soul of the Dalai Lama takes, and the story itself is told in mandala form,<br />
the storytelling itself part of the story being told.
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