Silence

“The weight of your silence is terrible”I find myself wanting to write a million words about this beautiful motion picture, but simultaneously find myself utterly speechless. Martin Scorsese et al. performing at their most meticulous craftsmanship, and rightly so for a film that serves as the most poignant exploration of the devotion and faith ever put to screen. A truly delicate study of the psychological impacts that come with attempting to fulfil a standard of perfection against a backdrop that serves as a portrait for how truly imperfect humanity can be. Despite the fact I don’t consider myself to be religious, I still feel a profound sense of devastation and despair from the contents on display here. Perhaps as a result of them being tackled without preaching, but instead with an immense human sincerity that invites reflection and never demands belief. I mention earlier that I wholeheartedly believe this to be the most well-crafted Scorsese picture. Scorsese directing with ascetic minimalism, forcing us to sit in silence and deal with the devastation ourselves. The best a Scorsese movie has sounded too, nature and humanity magnified by letting us hear every whisper, every creak, every breath, every drop of water in the distance. Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography is gorgeous, muted and patient. Perhaps, at the core of it all for me, though, is Andrew Garfield quietly providing what I believe to be a contender for the best of the decade. So much restraint, so much to say with so little words through pure facial expression, and when he delivers dialogue it feels lived-in and devastatingly performed. This is easily the greatest motion picture of the 2010s. Absolutely fucking tremendous, and even more so on this second watch.