As a passion project, Scorsese explores the struggle of Christ (and Christians) from multiple perspectives, all of which have unique ambiguities. The antithetical balance between Rodriguez and Garupe as representations of certainty and doubt in faith, respectively, is thoroughly developed in the first half of the movie, and then immediately challenged in the latter half.

Scorsese refashions Christ in the character of Rodriguez. He upholds confidence and trust in his faith, but in many of his monologues, it becomes apparent that his faith depends on others. He feels the most devout when he holds mass, hears confession and provides spiritual comfort to the Japanese followers. He supplies their need for faith and vice versa. In a way, he makes currency out of it. It seems an attempt to seek God-- or fill his 'silence' that, as the latter part shows, Rodriguez struggles with.

Ferreira expresses the brand of doubt that Rodriguez himself resists but also suffers. The most climactic scene to me is when Ferreira reveals to Rodriguez that the followers were not dying for God, they were dying for him. In that moment, Rodriguez is faced with what Christ must have felt like, being in agony in the garden the night before his crucifixion. What an overwhelming moment-- to finally 'be' Christ and to feel how excruciating and wretched it is.

I find Kichijirō's character to be the most nuanced representation of faith. He adds flesh to the greatest human flaws-- cowardice, abandonment, selfishness, hypocrisy most of all-- and his faith in God is shameful, a true abomination. Yet, he is the most empathic of all the characters to me. The way he 'believed' and 'loved' God is the same way many of us do. We are sinners, and every day we betray and abandon God, only to come crawling back to him when we are at our weakest.

The title is perfect. Yes, it refers to God's aloof 'silence' to all our suffering, but at the same time, I read it as his greatest expression of unconditional love. His silence shows that he does not interfere with our free will and our choices, no matter how it pains us and himself-- the greatest burden of a true Creator.