Silence
“How can I explain His silence to these people who have endured so much?”
This was tough to watch. I was left staring at a black screen, dumbfounded. Silence is a deeply personal journey, even if you don’t ascribe to a religion. It will make you ask yourself many questions that could have unflattering answers.
Religion is a way for people to find peace and meaning in life and to persecute that, to condemn any religion, is unforgivable. This film touches on one of the largest crises of faith in any religion: How can a so-called loving higher power allow so much pain in the world they created? It’s one of the things I struggle most with in my own faith.
Silence is an empathetic portrait of conceit, endurance, and veneration. It also comments on the dangers of rigid theological doctrine, and how it can hurt those who apostatize as well as those who abide. Having your faith affirmed in tangible practices is nothing compared to the divinity that can be found in the simplest expression of compassion.
Silence was gut-wrenchingly honest. It was brilliantly acted, perfectly edited, and gorgeously directed. This film will stick with me for a long time.
“You use the truth like poison.”