Martin Scorsese
Silence

THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT

At the end of the 16th century, Japan was divided into numerous rather autonomous fiefs, and furthermore, it was very open to European influence. The Portuguese Jesuits were doing a great job of evangelization and had converted the Daimyo, that is, the great feudal lords, the samurai, and the peasants. At least three hundred thousand Japanese had been baptized.

However, when, in the first decades of the 17th century, the Spanish, Franciscans, Dutch, and English, Protestant, also began to arrive, the Europeans became too numerous and too quarrelsome. The country's reaction to this confusing and varied situation was one of suspicion towards these people who came from the sea. Thus, when the conditions were set for the establishment of a new central power, a dictator, a strong Shogun, the Daimyo were subjected to an oath of allegiance and clarity was brought to the religious disputes: in Japan, not only should there be no Christians, but for two centuries, no people should land from the sea. This obviously resulted in persecutions reminiscent of the early Empire and tortures from the Spanish Inquisition or worse.

It is in this context that Silence is set, aiming to tell the story of the last two Jesuit missionaries, sent in 1633, from Portugal, to this hostile Japan.

THE SOCIETY OF JESUS IN HISTORY AND CINEMA

The issue of the missions of the brotherhood founded by Ignatius of Loyola is a thorny topic, one that has gone from a sort of damnatio memoriae to significant reevaluation; it is obviously up to historians to free it from the thorns and its political readings, while in cinema, the topic offers the opportunity to draw from a precious reserve of stories of men, scholars, Europeans, traveling around the world.

Did they bring civilization and discoveries to the World or were they the spiritual arm of colonialism and power?

Great cinema prefers the former thesis and tells stories of Jesuits who, from one part of the World to another, are opposed and fought by power; the exact opposite of the dark force of power that the Society of Jesus has represented at other times and in other places.

The most resounding success was that of The mission which, in 1986, brought the story of the Jesuits against the conquistadors of Latin America to the spotlight of major festivals.

THE FILM: THE PLOT

But let's return to the film Silence, where, instead, Scorsese shows the story of Father Sebastiano Rodrigues and Father Francisco Garupe who depart for Japan in search of Father Ferreira, their spiritual father, accused, according to some rumors, of having renounced his faith.

The two first arrive in China, where they meet Kishijiro, a Japanese who will guide them to Japan. They then land with him in the South of Japan where, in total secrecy, they meet some communities of Kakure kirishitan, the hidden Christians.

The life of the Christian communities is extremely hard, bent by the violence of the new regime and the oppression led by the inquisitor. The two priests are welcomed as a sign of divine providence, living hidden in the mountains, from which they descend to the villages at night to celebrate mass in front of faithful holders of a spiritual faith and devotion that recall those of early Christian communities.

However, the inquisitor's ears are very sensitive, and soon the persecution arrives in the village. A long process of physical and psychological torture begins for the kirishitan.

The inhabitants have a choice: to trample on the image of Christ or face martyrdom for the whole village. The armed arm of the inquisition is now over the head of every inhabitant and the inquisitor's progress has a terrible methodical calm, the mocking confidence of the old sage. The first trial is overcome, the second is not.

For Rodrigues, still in the shadows, spiritual torments are intensified, given by the sense of guilt or, at least, responsibility towards those who welcomed him: the suffering of the martyrs is the suffering of the brethren who see them die. For Rodrigues, spiritual torments will be followed by physical ones, only when Kishijiro, a new Judas, betrays him.

The torment will continue in an escalation of physical and psychological violence that culminates in the moment when Rodrigues sees his fellow Francisco die; finally, afterward, he will meet Ferreira, his old spiritual father, with whom there will be a decisive confrontation.

THE FILM: CHARACTERS AND CINEMATOGRAPHY

The physical movement, the journeys, of the first part of the film, in the second, are replaced by a spiritual itinerary that will reveal the different soul of the three Jesuits. Some will be uncompromising in faith and some will not; some will embrace Buddhism and some will not; some will be enlightened by grace and some will not.

Among the Japanese, saying of the enigmatic inquisitor with a mocking voice, the interpreter, a sort of double of his, should be remembered; among the Christians, the characters of Kishijiro and the two martyrs, Mokichi and Ichizo, stand out. The future martyrs are those who welcome the Jesuits in Japan and seem to possess a faith so strong as to endure the burden of secrecy and the responsibility of an entire village. Weak, however, is Kishijiro, in whom the undersigned sees the image of Judas, but there are those who see in him the same Christ, perhaps rightly in the final act of redemption.

In the representation, the images of physical and psychological tortures are mixed with images symbolizing moments of great mysticism, with great balance. Spectacular are the wide-angle shots of the beach where our two Jesuit missionaries meet again and extraordinary are the still images of the sacred icons in the foreground or the delirious hallucinations in which Rodrigues sees Christ in himself.

CONCLUSION

A deeply spiritual film, therefore, and Scorsese is highly skilled in showing, in the violence, an idea of grace and sacredness that is tangible even for those, like me, who are extremely earthly. Surely a beautiful film, strongly suggested for these carefree Christmas evenings.