Silence
Scorsese's three-hour meditation on faith requires serious commitment and emotional endurance
The brief
Scorsese strips away all his usual kinetic energy for this slow-burn meditation on faith under extreme duress, following two Jesuit priests facing brutal persecution in 17th-century Japan. At nearly three hours, it moves like a fever dream through gorgeous, mist-soaked landscapes while Garfield delivers his career-best performance as a man watching his certainties crumble. The film asks hard questions about martyrdom versus survival without offering easy answers, and Scorsese's patient camera work makes every moment of silence feel loaded with spiritual weight. Perfect for fans of Tarkovsky or anyone who found There Will Be Blood's religious themes fascinating but wanted something even more contemplative and punishing.
The verdict
If you have the patience for contemplative, spiritually challenging cinema and don't mind a nearly three-hour runtime, this is Scorsese's most meditative and spiritually complex work with career-best performances. If you prefer faster-paced films or aren't interested in deep religious themes and moral ambiguity, you'll find this slow and punishing despite its critical acclaim.
Watch with
- 👤 Solo viewing for maximum contemplation
- ⚠️ Avoid if you need faster pacing
Heads up
- Graphic torture and religious persecution (extreme)
- Psychological torment and crisis of faith (frequent)
- Execution scenes and violence (moderate)
Credits
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Cast
- Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Tadanobu Asano, Ciarán Hinds, Issey Ogata, Shinya Tsukamoto
Official synopsis
In the 17th century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to Japan in an attempt to locate their mentor, who
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with Mary Magdalene (2018)
Both explore faith and sacrifice through religious persecution narratives.
Total runtime: 2h 41m + 2h 00m = 4h 41m
