There are certain directors in Hollywood whose name can be used to sell a movie. Spielberg, Tarantino, Nolan, Coen Bros., and, obviously, Scorsese. These are everyone's favorite directors because, while their filmography isn't without blemishes, overall they produce high quality art and entertainment. And while the plot of "two priests travel through Japan in the 1600s searching for their long-lost mentor" doesn't really grab any interest from me-- the fact that it's a Scorsese film is an automatic sell. This film is his passion project, folks. He's been trying to get it off the ground since 1990. I don't even know if Andrew Garfield was alive when Scorsese first decided he wanted to make this movie. But, from what I've now seen of the finished product, it was well worth the wait.
Yes, the story revolves around two Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) in the 1600s on a mission in Japan to rescue their long lost mentor, Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson) after they've received word that due to a substantial amount of pressure and torture from the Japanese, he's apostatized (renounced God). So, I know it doesn't sound like the most intriguing of movies, but it's so much more. This is the time when Christianity was outlawed in Japan and anyone suspected of practicing Christianity were subject to torture and death by the high inquisitor. This was an especially trying time for priests sent over from other countries to spread God's word. They would not only be captured, but anyone following them or their religion would be subject to even worse torture until the priest publicly apostatized. The film is very interesting, as it's a story not commonly told. It's harrowing, it's brutal, it's brilliant, and it's Scorsese's best movie since The Departed.
What really fascinated me about the film is the way Scorsese and co-writer Jay Cocks did with the script is they examined the resilience of faith through the eyes of several different characters. Obviously, we have our priests struggling to hear God while witnessing intense amounts of pain and agony all around them and getting nothing but... yep... silence. Then, there's the Japanese Christians. Some are willing to die for their faith and some, like a very perplexing character named Kichijiro, are willing to shame artifacts with God's likeness on it in order to save himself. Then, there's the Japanese working for the inquisitor. They're very mind-fucky, but they're not out to torture for the sake of harming Christians. The torture ends and everyone is set free the moment they renounce God. Everything back then was so steeped in tradition that there was no room for compromise and allowing a second religion to run rampant through the country. So, they took Christians and forced them to step on a plate with God etched into it as a symbol of their loss of faith.
The film also examines the idea that a stubbornness and inability to break tradition can lead to intolerance. It's especially important now to criticize these themes in today's climate because even though human beings have grown significantly as a species... nothing has really changed. We still fear what we don't understand and we still fight what we don't agree with. If someone doesn't think the way we think or worship the person we worship or believe in what we believe in... they are a threat to our way of living and through that fear it inspires violence. But, because it's Scorsese, this isn't thrust into your brain like some sort of public service announcement. It's done very artfully and impactfully through suggestion and story.
It's a shame this movie didn't get more publicity and there wasn't a bigger Oscar campaign around it because it certainly deserves more recognition. Not just in the acting categories (Andrew Garfield was fantastic in Hacksaw Ridge, but his Best Actor nom SHOULD'VE been for this film), but for screenplay and cinematography. I watched this movie as a DVD screener, so the quality wasn't spectacular, but I was still blown away by how rich and gorgeous each shot of this film was. I'm also usually not a fan of Adam Driver, but here he's very impressive.
Whether you were blown away by the trailer, or thought it couldn't look more boring, this is a movie most people should watch. There are very difficult moments of the movie to watch and it's a slow burn of a film, but it's never boring. It's always very intriguing and fascinating to watch. I suggest not watching the screener, however, so that you may see the majesty of Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography as crystal clear as it's meant to be seen.
A-
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