Martin's films are very worth watching, the excavation of human nature and the restoration of history are very exciting. "Silence" also allows the audience to understand the story of the spread of Christianity in Japan, and the restoration of historical scenes and details is great. Audiences who like to watch history can see the discussion of history from the dialogue between Inoue-sama and Father Rodrigues played by Garfield, such as why the shogunate chose the policy of locking the country.
Leaving religion aside, the film deals more with issues of power and belief. The most exciting part of this film is the individual's choice in the face of irresistible power.
When I was in college, I sat with my senior and listened to a lecture. When I saw that he was reading a Bible, we talked about Christianity. The senior said seriously: "The believers I know all sincerely believe that God exists." Growing up in a godless environment, I couldn't understand how to rely on and sustenance spiritually, invisible and untouchable "Gods" that have not been proven by science. This was beyond my understanding at the time. After many years, I have become a middle-aged uncle. Although I am still an atheist, I can already understand people's choice of religion. Going back to the movie, belief is a personal choice, and the shogunate uses power to force individuals to give up their beliefs. The movie has been advancing around this contradiction. It may be difficult for non-religious viewers to understand why Father Rodrigues, played by Garfield, struggles so much.
After Father Rodrigues was captured, he was sitting in the farmland with several villagers. The girl named Monica asked if the priest could go to heaven after death. In heaven, there would be no pain, no taxes, and no hard farming. Father Rodrigues hesitated for a moment, then replied: "Yes." This answer, perhaps the priest himself doubted or did not know? I suddenly remembered that I had just moved to Shanghai to work after graduation, so I took the bus on the weekend and got on the aunt who had just finished a few weeks. They discussed their life experiences and the changes brought about by Christianity loudly in the bus. To this day, I still deeply remember an aunt who seriously described how she felt more relaxed about life after becoming a religious person, but there was no joy in the expression and tone of this aunt, and she felt that religious belief was more like a helpless choice. Life has not changed for the better, and the pain has not been less, everything just depends on the old aunt's own thoughts. Father Rodrigues questioned more than once in the film why God made believers suffer so much. Perhaps, this old aunt had the same question.
Yosuke Kubozuka, who plays Yoshijiro, is very good. Yoshijiro gave up teaching for survival at the critical moment of life and death, and kept returning to the priest, which better discussed and expressed the contradiction between power and belief.
Finally, talk about the first conversation with the devout. The English foreign teacher in college was a young and very well-mannered lady, an American named Rebecca. Rebecca is of the standard Puritan style, devoutly temperate. Once I visited her house as a guest, I saw some Chinese Christian missionary brochures, which were nothing more than teaching stories about believing in God and entering heaven. I felt that these things seemed to be tricking ignorant women and children. It was very strange why this well-educated and well-educated lady would believe This thing. Then we discussed a few issues with Rebecca. I asked why there are so many killing stories in the Bible, and everyone has to keep reading, Rebecca replied that she thinks the Bible is history, and history is composed of bloody killings. When I asked Rebecca why she came to China, Rebecca answered very seriously: "God directed me to come!" I had forgotten how to answer Rebecca at that time, I just thought it was a strange answer that I couldn't understand.
In fact, now, I still think this is a very nonsense answer, and I still don't fully understand why this answer (if it is religious) would come out of the mouth of a well-educated person who understands science. Perhaps this is a point of view in "A Brief History of Humanity", that people are a group that can believe in various virtual stories, that is, these virtual stories, which make society.
The Japanese and Spanish priests in the film just believed in different virtual stories
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