Silence took Martin Scorsese nearly 30 years to make – and it shows

The year is 1640. Sebastião Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) arrives in Japan with fellow Jesuit missionary Francisco Garupe (Adam Driver) to search for their missing mentor, Cristóvão Ferreira (Liam Neeson). There, Rodrigues witnesses how “Kirishitans” – historical Japanese Catholics – must practise their faith in secret because their religion is heresy in Edo-period Japan. As he observes how the Japanese belief differs from his teachings, Rodrigues begins to question his faith. Despite praying ceaselessly, Rodrigues does not hear back from God.

Silence, one of Martin Scorsese’s passion projects, was released in 2016 after nearly three decades in development. Scorsese’s dedication mirrors the spiritual journey of his protagonist.

The novel by Shūsaku Endō has been adapted for the screen three times, including this version by Scorsese. The first was a 1971 Japanese film co-written by Endō himself, which screened at Cannes film festival. The second, a loose Portuguese adaptation titled The Eyes of Asia, was nominated for the Golden Leopard, Locarno film festival’s top gong, in 1996. Just as the 1971 film emerged during the decline of the Japanese New Wave and the 1996 film became a lesser-known arthouse work, Scorsese’s Silence has likewise faded into the background of his acclaimed oeuvre.

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Regardless, the film stands as one of Scorsese’s most complex works, discussing spirituality with remarkable fervour. Together with cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, Scorsese uses overhead and tracking shots to evoke God’s watchful gaze, but when framed against towering mountains and crashing waves, the film questions divine presence in the rural coast of south-western Japan. Even Scorsese’s mastery seems to tremble in Silence. Inconsistently, the film dips between quiet contemplation and plot-driven movement. The film’s own faith shudders along with its characters’ devotion.

Adam Driver as Jesuit priest Francisco Garupe in Silence. Photograph: 078024000873/Paramount Pictures/Allstar

“It’s only a formality,” says Rodrigues’ smooth-talking interpreter (Tadanobu Asano) during a ritual where Japanese officials force Christians to renounce their faith by stepping on a fumi-e – a metal plaque etched with Christian imagery. To trample seems like a desecration, but is it not just a formality as the interpreter suggests?

Rodrigues watches Japanese Christians risk their lives for a distorted version of the church’s teachings and begins to doubt both their faith and his own. Offering mass and baptism in the veil of night, Rodrigues compares himself to the first Christians in the catacombs of ancient Rome. When Kichijirō (Yōsuke Kubozuka), a reluctant apostate, tells Rodrigues that the officials are offering 300 pieces of silver for him, the priest thinks of how Jesus was sold for only 30 by Judas. Evidently, Father Rodrigues’ mission is anchored by pride.

Andrew Garfield as Sebastião Rodrigues, who offers clandestine masses and baptisms. Photograph: 132125000368/Paramount Pictures/Allstar

Meanwhile, despite the inaccuracies in their practice, the Kirishitans uphold their faith with humility. Ichizo (Yoshi Oida) leads the believers of his village as the elder of their secret church. Oida, who also appeared in the Portuguese adaptation, plays Ichizo with poise and tenderness. By his side, renowned cult film-maker Shinya Tsukamoto offers a powerful performance as the earnest and humble martyr Mokichi. Tsukamoto portrays Mokichi as a quiet but strong-willed devotee. However, under the rolling thunder of the rainy season, even nature seems to be against their faith. The crashing waves and cicadas only intensify God’s silence.

“Behold, there is the son of God,” Ferreira declares, pointing at the sun to show that Japan’s idea of the divine is the natural world. Liam Neeson delivers a career-best performance, acutely capturing Ferreira’s heartbreaking spiritual fatigue. Opposite him is the scheming inquisitor Inoue, played with menacing magnetism by comedy actor Issey Ogata. Inoue wheedles his way into the Christian missionaries, poisoning them to give up their faith. With his shrill voice, the inquisitor claims Japan must outlaw Christianity to resist Western colonialism. Is the country’s brutal prosecution of Christians justified, then, when Christianity was brought to Japan with the gun?

• Silence is available to stream on Stan in Australia and available to rent in Australia, the UK and the US. For more recommendations of what to stream in Australia, click here