When Character and Virtue are Tested...

Tonight I saw the movie Silence, which Martin Scorsese directed. The truth of the matter is that I wasn't looking forward to seeing the film because I thought it would be an overly-simplified, Western "good guys" versus Eastern "bad guys" movie. It wasn't like that at all.

This was a complex film about two Jesuit priests who ventured in 17th century Japan under conditions of religious repression. They were searching for a priest who arrived in the country earlier and was said to have become an apostate.

The movie was also as much about the enduring faith of the peasantry, after more than a generation of brutal treatment to destroy their communities, as it was about the fate of the three priests who were focal points in the story.

The acting was engaging, and the scenery was enthralling. The script and the story were intellectually stimulating. The movie depicted the often subtle methods of psychological torture along with the more direct forms of physical abuse.

Friends who have read the novel that the movie is based on said that the film is an accurate depiction of the printed text. The book itself is based on real events. A key theme in the film centers on the question of where God is in the midst of suffering. A brief passage offers an answer: one encounters God in the midst of the silence.

Although it was a thought-provoking film, it is not for an audience that has a short attention-span or for people who are uncomfortable and impatient with exploring the complexities of character and judgment.

The script presented compelling arguments about whether or not truth is universal or merely culturally-specific; the efficacy of symbolism and names, and the real meaning of "mercy."

If you watch this movie with a friend, or two, or six -- make sure you allow time for a good discussion afterward. You will most likely find yourself talking about the film for hours.