Oscars Preview: 30 Movies to Watch Before the Nominations Come Out!
By Emily Scott
Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Silence
What it’s about:
Silence is a historical drama set in the 17th century. Father Sebastião Rodrigues and Father Francisco Garrpe are Portuguese Catholic priests. Their mentor, Father Cristóvão Ferreira, has gone missing in Japan, and neither Rodrigues nor Garrpe know if he is dead, alive, or converted. They set out to Japan, risking their lives in the atmosphere of religious persecution, hoping to find Ferreira. Throughout the journey, the pair of priests witnesses and experiences the horrors of religious tyranny, causing doubt, faith, and hope to interweave.
Major Players:
The 12-time nominee and winner of the 2007 Best Director award Martin Scorsese directed Silence. He also co-wrote along with frequent collaborator and two-time nominee Jay Cocks. Andrew Garfield plays Sebastião Rodrigues, and Adam Driver plays Francisco Garrpe. Cristóvão Ferreira is played by one-time nominee Liam Neeson, and Japanese actor Issei Ogata plays Inoue Masashige.
What the Critics are Saying:
Silence is highly acclaimed at an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. Stephen Witty of the New York Daily News writes, “It’s a demand for religious tolerance. A cry against injustice. A rebuke to European arrogance. And a striking psalm to the power of faith.” But many critics have knocked it for its unwieldy and sanitized qualities. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times writes that it, “is as visually striking as you might expect, but also overly tidy, clean and decorous, despite its tortured flesh, its mud and its blood.” Peter Debruge of Variety agrees, noting, “Though undeniably gorgeous, it is punishingly long, frequently boring, and woefully unengaging at some of its most critical moments.”
Possible Nominations:
Best Picture, Best Director (Scorsese), Best Adapted Screenplay (Cocks and Scorsese), Leading Actor (Garfield), Supporting Actor (Ogata, Driver, or Neeson), Cinematography (Rodrigo Prieto)