Kaka

The first half is hell. A non-stop conversation about belief in God, interspersed with Rodrigo Prieto's gorgeous cinematic orgy. Unfortunately, Silence, especially in its first half, is annoyingly tedious, relatively simple, and in no way thought-provoking. But that gradually changes, and the arrival of Liam Neeson on the scene makes a fitting twist. His polemical conversation with Andrew Garfield about faith is interesting, thought-provokingly robust and to the point, and it gives the film a welcome sense of purpose and dramatic arc. The running time of Silence is monstrous considering the intimate story it tells, but as a probe into feudal Japan involving the Christian faith, it's manageable. I wouldn't have guessed Scorsese made it at all. On the face of it, it has nothing to do with his classic masterpieces. But it does with the religious ones.

A more emotionally fragile family alternative to Elite Squad or City of God. It doesn't lack the raw feel of a wild big city, a grimy slum, or the uncompromising street life among gangs. Unlike the first mentioned work, Metro Manila has a fairly solid human dimension and more than one emotionally powerful scene. It falls short of City of God in terms of direction or technical skill, but in terms of expressive devices, it certainly fits into a similar group of films and is well worth investing two hours of your time to get a glimpse of the Philippine capital.

A very well handled relationship drama (based on a true story) between a physically disabled woman and a mentally unbalanced lonely man, where in the end the greatest joy they share, overcoming all their sorrows, is painting cute pictures. Sally Hawkins' masterful performance was to be expected, but Ethan Hawke, in an uncharacteristic role for him, was a very pleasant surprise. The minimalist feel and overall spare production design excels where it's expected. There are beautiful shots of the Nova Scotia landscape and the gentle strumming of some sort of stringed instrument.