To a strange monastery. Review of Silence
Questions of faith, religion - this is something from which the author's cinema, as well as human thought in general, cannot escape in one way or another. Ingmar Bergman filmed his "Trilogy of Faith" about this, Krzysztof Kieslowski - ten-episode "Decalogue", the best pictures of Andrei Tarkovsky, Lars von Trier also tell about this ... You don't have to be a church member or a believer in order to question. That is why truly profound films on this subject, although dedicated to a certain confession, do not seem to be either unambiguous or one-sided.The great experienced Martin Scorsese has a personal interest in religion and most of all in Catholicism. He grew up a devout child, and in his youth he was generally going to take the dignity of a priest. With all the liveliness, irony, sometimes cruelty and hooligan nature of many of his films, the director sometimes thoughtfully addresses questions that at first glance are purely religious, choosing for this a very academic and strict form of narration. His tortured and scandalous, in the opinion of some, the film "The Last Temptation of Christ" touched upon the delicate question of uniting human and divine nature in Jesus , thereby going beyond what is permissible for the Church conserved in many issues. The next "religious" work of the master was "Kundun" - about the feat of Dalai Lama XIV . These pictures, one must think, do not represent the avant-garde of the filmography of Scorsese , they are not in the greatest demand among the public. But if you dig deeper, it becomes clear that for many of the "modern" heroes of the director - Charlie Kappa in Evil Streets, Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver or Teddy Daniels in "The Isle of the Damned" - the very Christian question is especially acute: how to continue to live among earthly sins and sufferings, while maintaining the faith, having developed a moral code. Faith in this case is meant not even in a specific God, but in justice, in a certain meaning, in humanity. And for these heroes, as, apparently, for Scorsese himself, the reason for the oppressive duality, dissatisfaction and constant reflection becomes doubt - the main test on the path of faith.  So it happened with the heroes of his latest at the moment, a very long-awaited film. Having barely read the novel of the same name by the Japanese writer and also, by the way, Catholic Shusaku Endo, Scorsese promised himself that he would certainly remove the film adaptation. Earlier, back in 1971, Masahiro Shinoda presented his adaptation, which at key points diverged from the ideas of the novel. And Silence Scorsese has been around for 30 years. It is agonizing, with constant cancellations, refusals, waiting and still with the confidence that it is impossible not to translate it on the screen. The actors changed, the dates were shifted, the shooting was held in Taiwan instead of Japan. The film's producers have already called the work on this drama the most painful in the director's entire filmography. With only one of its themes, touching upon the problems of martyrdom, missionary work and the power of faith, Martin Scorsese's painting is on a par with Roland Joffe's "Mission" topped with Palm Branch and the best "Christian" films Mel Gibson. It is no coincidence that Martin Scorsese and Gibson , who recently returned to the director's chair, are called one of America's last conservatives. The timing of "Silence" alone - almost three hours - can be a test for the restless viewer. Despite the broad context of the topic and the many films dedicated to it, the brainchild of Scorsese from the first frame to the last is his, author's and unique.  At first glance, the history of the book of the same name Endo is quite simple: in the 17th century, in Japan, radical measures continue to eradicate the Christianity brought there and initially positively accepted. The papacy receives terrible news: one of the most reliable servants of the Jesuits, Padre Ferreira (Liam Neeson), allegedly renounced the faith and "assimilated" with the locals - he married a Japanese woman and preached Buddhism. Two of his students - father Rodriguez (Andrew Garfield) and father Garrpe (Adam Driver) - decide to go on a mission to the distant Japanese islands in order to refute the vile rumors and at the same time clarify the extent of the situation. in the land of terror. The story that unfolds further paints in all colors the confrontation and sometimes the incomparability of worlds and truths, but, most importantly, asks questions that, probably, cannot be answered unequivocally. How can you preach this or that religion, sacrificing innocent people for this? How can you carry faith in God, in the most difficult moments without receiving any response from him? Silence, silence - this is the world into which the unfortunate martyrs for the faith find themselves immersed. Neither the silent dark sea, nor the empty heavens will give an answer - what is the meaning of this struggle, and why should the strongest souls perish? Thus, from the tragic episode in the history of his own country Endo , for whom, by his own admission, Catholicism became "a poorly fitted suit of Western cut", he derived a large-scale philosophical work,  Instead of the primitive "who is right and who is wrong?" there are a number of questions that come up here, and many of them just hang in the air. The conflict of worldviews, West and East could become key in this story, but it only serves as a background. Of course, the historical context is important here - it is easy to guess that for the Japanese authorities the main goal of the oppression was to undo the impending Western colonization. It was from that moment that the Land of the Rising Sun plunged into complete isolation. No matter how blasphemous it may sound, the genocide of Christians in Japan in the 15th-17th centuries, against the background of the acts “for Christ ” committed in the entire history of this religion, seems to fade a little. Well, what did we not see there? "Water crosses", "pits", torture ... Not even particularly sophisticated, but simply cruel and cunning. But already the very first scene of the crucifixion of unwanted Scorsese evokes respect for the martyrs and trembling fear. It cannot be said that the presented episodes of violence somehow speculate on the notorious Japanese atrocities. On the contrary, the national and cultural flavor is displayed sparingly, but due to this, the general mechanism of the picture works: first of all, not cultural and religious debates appear before the viewer, but ordinary people, not social or national groups, but individuals with their beliefs and weaknesses. That's right Scorsese , dedicating "Silence" to the dead Japanese Christians, equates them with all those who died for a big idea, everyone who did not agree to a shameful compromise. Actually, it is the compromise that is one of the problematic points of the film, and the stories of the three padres are different options for getting out of a difficult and ambiguous situation.  According to Endo himself, "Christianity [in Japan] has died because it cannot survive here." He also picked up a successful metaphor: Japan is a swamp in which the sprouts of Christianity get stuck and cannot germinate. The difference in mentality and worldviews affects. Some local peasants did not even distinguish between Buddhism and Christianity, merging them into one whole. The point is, of course, in the methods of the enlighteners themselves - this is outlined in Scorsese only by a dotted line, and in Endo it is explained in full. Among Jesuit missionaries, it was quite common to disregard Japanese culture and mentality, sometimes bordering on cruelty and arrogance towards "pagans".  It is somewhat of a paradox that the film is about divine presence or absence, that is, something that cannot be portrayed. That is why the visual language here initially takes on a very important mission, trying to express the inexpressible. The only nomination for "Oscar" for the drama is precisely for the cinematography, and there is not even anything to add here: Rodrigo Prieto's camera sometimes makes you just hold your breath. Despite this, "Silence" with all its pauses and slowed-down passages, the film is conversational and debatable. Of course, the literary basis is evident here - the book Endo is built in the form of the confessional letters of brother Rodriguez . Andrew Garfield's voiceover sometimes directly cites the printed original.  Andrew Garfield and his acting are one of the jewels of the Scorsese drama. Once again, the young actor surprises with some sudden maturity and penetration. And if at first he and his partner Adam Driver were slightly discordant with what was happening on the screen, then, almost alone with the viewer, Garfield played his solo very deeply and truthfully. Actually, his character is the center of the drama of the entire film, the one through whose eyes we see what is happening, whose inner conflict we are experiencing. The dignity here is not only in the skill of the actor, but also in the portrayal of the hero himself - the father of Rodriguez , at first constantly mentally comparing himself with Christ and his approach to the cross. Such comparisons of oneself with Jesus are purely outwardly quite appropriate, but internally, of course, they come from pride. And if, only having got to the island, Rodriguez appears before the viewer as a firmly convinced priest, speaking with quotations from the Gospel , then further, step by step, he experiences the most important test of a religious person - an ordeal of your faith.  It turns out that the martyrs do not go to death with enthusiastic cries and praise of the Lord, their death is terribly terrible and unsightly, - the discrepancy between the usual biblical stories and life becomes a revelation for the padre. Should a father be responsible for his flock and go down to earth, to people, or wait for a sign from the Lord and do nothing? To understand Father Rodriguez it will be very useful to remember the Bible , although the main thing here lies on the surface. The hero of Garfield experiences his temptation by the devil in the desert, and the obvious betrayal of Judas , and his Garden of Gethsemane. The crucifixion turns out to be metaphorical for him, expressed in the need for the most difficult choice. The truth of Christianity is absolute and universal - this is what Father Rodriguez cannot refuse, and this is precisely what lies at the heart of his personality, which does not agree to dastardly concessions.  The supporting actors also came to the place - and Liam Neeson , in ten minutes of his stay on the screen with one eyes, said everything, and Issei Ogata, in the role of the inquisitor, an ironic infernal character, it seems, is the only one who coldly realizes , What is going on. The center of the entire semantic core of the picture can be caught from the dialogues of the holy fathers and especially the conversations of Rodriguez with the inquisitor, jokes and allegories explaining why Japan does not need obsessive love.  Silence is a voluminous metaphor that symbolizes not only the absence of God or an answer from him, but also one of the possible reactions to the evil taking place in the world. It is in such a situation that the main character is faced with a choice - to look at other people's suffering and be silent or not; think differently, but obey or not. Silence may contain treasure, or perhaps emptiness. The film Scorsese is not immersed in silence, it is filled with natural sounds of nature - the chirping of birds, rustle of leaves, the sound of the surf. In these sounds one cannot find any kind of assessment of what is happening or semantic content. Likewise, the silence of God, in all its existential tragedy, is at the same time a fact and a moment of his presence. Scorsese does not give a direct answer to this, although in the latter, even though it is not kept in an elegant frame, it still slightly tends to be obvious. With the exception of the ending, the whole picture, suffered over the decades, is permeated with wisdom and painful questions without answers. When you mentally refer to the collisions of "Silence" , it seems more and more that you will repeatedly discover new symbolism and meanings, taking on this seemingly inexhaustible cup. The spiritual path traveled by the heroes cannot be experienced only with a visit to the cinema. Everyone still has their own test, their own dialogue in the form of one-sided remarks and their level of emptiness and silence, which sometimes you want to fill with hope, meaning and unshakable convictions in the most important thing. When you mentally refer to the collisions of "Silence" , it seems more and more that you will repeatedly discover new symbolism and meanings, taking on this seemingly inexhaustible cup. The spiritual path traveled by the heroes cannot be experienced only with a visit to the cinema. Everyone still has their own test, their own dialogue in the form of one-sided remarks and their own level of emptiness and silence, which sometimes you want to fill with hope, meaning and unshakable convictions in the most important thing. When you mentally refer to the collisions of "Silence" , it seems more and more that you will repeatedly discover new symbolism and meanings, taking on this seemingly inexhaustible cup. The spiritual path traveled by the heroes cannot be experienced only with a visit to the cinema. Everyone still has their own test, their own dialogue in the form of one-sided remarks and their level of emptiness and silence, which sometimes you want to fill with hope, meaning and unshakable convictions in the most important thing. The Topic of Article: To a strange monastery. Review of Silence. |
