Silence

Complex, Conflicting, Compelling  This is such a deep and impactful exploration of faith. The journey that each character goes through experiencing challenges to their faith and the ways they react, overcome or fall to these challenges is such an immersive viewing experience. This is only enhanced by acting capabilities of the cast - Andrew Garfield gives one of the best performances of his career as Father Rodriguez, expertly portraying pain and conflict but also how kind hearted and determined the main character is. Adam Driver and Liam Neeson play great supporting characters - though Neeson doesn’t have much screen time he does so much with the time he has. The complex feelings the characters show, are some of the best written and acted I’ve ever seen. Even small things, like the way Father Rodriguez and Garupe react when first encountering any Japanese person: they show such fear and uncertainty even after most people they’ve met only want their guidance. It’s small details like these that makes it so easy to be captured by the storytelling. The beauty of this film is in complete contrast to the overall tone. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous, the colours are bright and vibrant, all shown with incredible camera work - the cinematography is unbelievable. The murder, maiming, suppression of religion in this gorgeous environment is a shock for sure, but it goes a long way for portraying the overarching conflict that is constantly present in this film.  To me, this is not only one of the best films Scorsese has made, but the most compelling look into faith and religion in any film ever made