Silence

1

1 EXT. UNZEN HOT SPRINGS DAY 1

The faces of FIVE MEN appear out of a thick cloud of mist

rising off a seething lake of boiling water. They look like

pale phantoms. Terrified.

We HEAR the voice of FATHER CHRISTOVAO FERREIRA. Strong.

Resolute.

FERREIRA (V.O.)

(reading)

"Good Friday, 1633. Pax Christi.

Praised be God. Although for us there

is little peace in this land now."

CUT TO:

2 EXT. UNZEN HOT SPRINGS DAY 2

Now we see FERREIRA. He is a Jesuit priest. A missionary. But

the look on his face does not match the reflective tone of the

voice we are hearing. He is troubled at something he sees. He

turns away...

...but two GUARDS, holding him, force him to look back. Vapors

of steam make them seem like creatures in a dream.

FERREIRA (V.O.)

(reading)

"I never knew Japan when it was a

country of light. But I have never

known it to be as dark as it is now.”

On those last words, Ferreira is pulled, through the steam,

into close-up. He struggles not to show the pain of what he

sees.

CUT TO:

3 EXT. UNZEN HOT SPRINGS DAY 3

The five men are surrounded by SAMURAI and various OFFICIALS.

Guards are pushing them forward. The five men are THREE

AUGUSTINIAN FRIARS, a FRANCISCAN FRIAR and a JAPANESE JESUIT

PRIEST.

FERREIRA(V.O.)

“All our progress has ended in new

persecution, new repression, new

suffering.

(MORE)

2

FERREIRA(V.O.) (cont'd)

The governor of Nagasaki first hoped

to destroy our Christian faith with

ridicule, and by example.”

Steam from the hot spring ebbs briefly to reveal the men are

Catholic priests. Their hands are tied. The water in front of

them is like a cauldron.

FERREIRA (V.O.)

“But when the faithful resisted, and

refused to renounce God, he became

more cruel."

In a grove of trees on a small rise in the near distance, the

Guards hold tight to the priest Ferreira, making sure he

doesn’t miss a thing. They yank Ferreira like a dog on a rope.

Closer to the spring.

CUT TO:

4 EXT. UNZEN HOT SPRINGS DAY 4

The five priests tremble at the edge of the scorching spring.

FERREIRA (V.O.)

"He took four friars and one of our

own Society to Unzen. There are hot

springs there. The Japanese call them

'hells,' partly I think in mockery,

and partly, I must tell you, in

truth."

The cold air makes the STEAM rise thickly from the lake.

FERREIRA (V.O.)

"The officials told the faithful to

abandon God and the gospel of His

love. But they not only refused to

apostatize. They asked to be tortured,

so they could demonstrate the strength

of their faith and the presence of God

within them."

The water throws scalding spray into the air, burning the face

of one of the priests.

Nearby, still guarded by the samurai, Ferreira bites his lip to

control himself. His lip bleeds. He watches as...

...the captured priest turns, unbroken, to his captors,

refusing to capitulate.

3

CAPTURED PRIEST:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!

(alt:
Soul of Christ, sanctify me!)

Showing no anger, an Official makes an abrupt gesture. Guards

tear off the priests’ garments then dip long-handled ladles

into the boiling water of the spring.

CUT TO:

5 EXT. UNZEN HOT SPRINGS DAY 5

Seen now from a distance, as if on a stage: guards approach the

five Christian prisoners, who are tied nearly naked to wooden

stakes. The guards DRIP the scalding water onto their bodies.

FERREIRA (V.O.)

"They used ladles filled with holes so

the drops would come out slowly, and

the pain would be prolonged. Each

small splash of the water was like a

burning coal."

The crowd surges forward.

FERREIRA:

"Some remained on the mountain for 33

days."

CUT TO:

6 EXT. UNZEN HOT SPRINGS DAY 6

A month later. Still from a distance: The five Christians are

being untied from the stakes. Their bodies are wracked from the

effects of exposure.

FERREIRA (V.O.)

“The story of their courage has become

almost legend. They give hope to those

of us who remain here, against the

shogun’s order, to teach the faith. We

only grow stronger, in His love.”

Near the hot spring, Ferreira collapses to the ground. His

guard lets him fall. He hides his face in his arms.

CUT TO:

4

7 INT. STUDY/MACAO COLLEGE DAY 7

TITLE UP:
COLLEGE OF MADRE DE DEUS / MACAO / Spring, 1640. A

hand places a letter on a desk and Father Valignano removes his

spectacles, reciting the last words of the letter. He knows

them well.

VALIGNANO:

Ferreira is lost to us.

(looks up)

This was his last letter.

Valignano is a compelling man, the senior Jesuit superior of

this mission on the very edge of the known world. He looks

across at TWO YOUNG PRIESTS, neither older than thirty, who are

seated before him.

One priest, FRANCISCO GARUPE, who has the lean, restless

appearance of a hunting animal, looks thoughtful. He is

measuring his response...

...when the second priest speaks. He has an aspect of spiritual

assurance about him, of untested righteousness, but there is a

hungry, haunted look in his eyes, too. He's like a man who has

seen his own ghost. His name is SEBASTI.O RODRIGUES.

RODRIGUES:

That was so long ago. It says nothing

of him now.

VALIGNANO:

This letter came to us when you were

traveling from Portugal. It took years

to reach us. It was hidden, smuggled,

ransomed and finally put into my hand

by a Dutch trader. Who had other news

as well.

RODRIGUES:

That he is alive?

VALIGNANO:

That he apostatized.

The young priests are stunned.

VALIGNANO:

That he denounced God in public and

surrendered the faith and is now

living as a Japanese.

5

GARUPE:

That’s not possible. (Father Ferreira

risked his life to spread our faith

all over Japan. We are here today

because of him.)

RODRIGUES:

He was the strongest of us.

VALIGNANO:

He wrote those words during the most

sweeping persecution of all. Now

things are even worse. Thousands are

dead for what we brought them.

Thousands more have given up the

faith.

GARUPE:

You said this trader brought news. But

it’s not proven, is it? It could be a

slander created to further discredit

our faith.

VALIGNANO:

Given the extent of the persecution in

that country...

GARUPE:

Yes, Father, respectfully. There must

be multitudes there who need us too.

VALIGNANO:

(more emphatically now)

...and the fact there has been no

other word of him, and the news

brought by the Dutchman...

GARUPE:

Rumor, Father, only...

Rodrigues gestures to Garupe to moderate his tone as Valignano

fixes him with a look of stern impatience. Garupe lowers his

head in apology.

VALIGNANO:

...I must conclude it is true.

RODRIGUES:

If it is true, Father, what would it

mean for the Society? For our faith?

For all of Catholic Europe?

(MORE)

6

RODRIGUES (cont'd)

Father, it seems our mission here is

more urgent than ever. We must find

Rate this script:4.5 / 2 votes