Silence Page #5

WOMAN:

(heavy accent)

Konhisan, Padre. Please.

GARUPE:

Of course I'll...if I knew...what is

it?

(struggling)

Kocha? Kosha?

WOMAN:

Konhisan.

The young priest looks at her blankly. She begins on her own.

WOMAN:

"Bless me, Father, for I have

sinned..."

And now he understands: confession. He makes a belated blessing

as she continues to speak and we hear...

RODRIGUES (V.O.)

“We quickly settled into a routine.

Hearing confession, and forgiving

sins, even though we could not always

be sure what was being confessed.”

A moth flies round and round an oil lamp.

CUT TO:

27 INT. ICHIZO'S HUT NIGHT 27

Another day. Ichizo's hand REACHES for a thin straw mat on the

floor, RAISES it as if there is something underneath. There is

nothing. But the hand starts to separate the mat.

RODRIGUES (V.O.)

“Their old faith offered resignation

and a road that ended in darkness.

Christianity brought love, and life

everlasting.

And we see there are two layers of mat, one against the other.

As Ichizo separates them we see a hidden paper.

23

RODRIGUES (V.O.)

“The dignity for the first time of

being treated like God’s creatures,

not animals. And the promise that

earthly trial would not end in

nothingness, but in salvation.”

Ichizo SMOOTHS the wrinkled paper and passes it reverently to

Rodrigues, who nods and PASSES it to Garupe. It is a picture of

Jesus (or Mary). He places it on a low table against the wall

serving as an altar upon which are placed a chalice, paten,

missal, water and wine. A light has been lit.

RODRIGUES (V.O.)

“Images of Our Lord and the Blessed

Virgin Mary sustain them. So they can

see past the image, and find God in

their own hearts, we give religious

instruction and teach new prayers.

Quietly”

Rodrigues TURNS:
faithful of the village crowd this hut. The

villagers stare at the picture of Jesus (or Mary) in awe and

make gestures of great reverence. Rodrigues makes the sign of

the cross and begins Mass.

RODRIGUES:

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et

Spiritus Sancti, Amen. Introibo ad

altare Dei....

Kichijiro stands in the back, not quite sober, watching.

RODRIGUES (V.O.)

“We offer Mass in the dead of night,

just as they did in the Catacombs. But

in whispers. And when morning comes we

leave the village...quietly...still

with no word of Ferreira.”

CUT TO:

28 EXT. TOMOGI MOUNTAIN ROAD DAWN 28

Garupe and Rodrigues negotiate the rough path through the

forest as Mokichi clears the way just ahead of them.

RODRIGUES (V.O.)

“...and we climb the mountain again.

And wait. And hide. These people carry

the burden of their faith up this

steep road more easily than we do.

(MORE)

24

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

Their trust in us is total, and we

have to be careful they do not give us

too much. When I asked Ichizo's wife

for food that first day, she gave us

almost all they had.

They hurry out of the woods toward the sheltering outlines of

their hut, visible ahead in billowing clouds of early-morning

mist.

RODRIGUES (V.O.)

“The love of all these people

overwhelms us both.””

CUT TO:

29 INT. CHARCOAL HUT DAY 29

Rodrigues is BAPTIZING a baby held by its mother as the father

looks on with a mixture of pride and wariness. He holds the

only instrument for the ceremony - a broken little peasant’s

cup used for holy water.

RODRIGUES:

“Paatere to, Hiiriyo to, Supiritsu

Santo no mina o motte soregashi nanji

o araitatematsuru. Amen.”

WIFE:

We now? All with God, in paraiso?

GARUPE:

(frustrated)

Paradise? Now? No. But God is there

now, and forever. He prepares a place

for us all. Even now.

The husband and wife give no sign of comprehending, but they

bow and leave, passing Ichizo's Wife standing patiently holding

two meager bowls of food.

GARUPE:

Blessed be God.

(beat)

Arigataya.

She BOWS and exits. Garupe HANDS Rodrigues a bowl of food.

GARUPE:

I'm sorry, Sebasti.o, for my

impatience. I’m ashamed of my

frustration.

25

Rodrigues NODS his head in understanding.

RODRIGUES:

The child is safe in God’s grace.

That’s what’s important.

Both priests bow their heads over the food in silent blessing,

then start to eat.

CUT TO:

30 EXT./INT. CHARCOAL HUT DAY 30

Heavy RAIN pelts the charcoal hut, running off the straw roof

in great streams and LEAKING inside. Garupe and Rodrigues are

PICKING lice off their clothes using their fingers as tweezers.

Garupe mutters something under his breath.

GARUPE:

“Joy of my heart.”

RODRIGUES:

What?

GARUPE:

“We shall never find another race to

equal the Japanese. They are the joy

of my heart.” Our Saint Francis

Xavier’s words. He must not have come

across any lice. The only way we can

win against these things is to get out

of here.

Rodrigues tweezes several small white lice with his fingers.

Frustrated, Garupe picks up a rock and pounds at them.

GARUPE (cont'd)

(pummeling the lice)

I'm sorry. I know that's weak.

(WHACK!)

But all I feel for these people is

pity, not love.

RODRIGUES:

I know. I feel pity too.

(beat)

Our Saint Francis also told us to

render an account first to God, then

to our own conscience. Then we can do

much good for our neighbors.

GARUPE:

Do you think we have? Done good?

RODRIGUES:

Yes I do. Of course I do.

GARUPE:

Much good?

Rodrigues wipes his hands and passes Garupe a small bowl of

roots and pumpkin scraps.

GARUPE:

It’s just that these people are so

frightened. Is fear all they have?

(WHACK!)

And lice?

RODRIGUES:

They have us. We comfort them.

GARUPE:

How much longer can we do that?

RODRIGUES:

We asked for this mission, Francisco.

We begged Father Valignano for it. We

prayed for it in the Exercises. God

heard us then, He hears us still.

GARUPE:

Then may He guide us to Ferreira. So

we can know the truth.

RODRIGUES:

...What?...

GARUPE:

The truth.

RODRIGUES:

Do you think there’s any doubt?

GARUPE:

About what?

RODRIGUES:

You think his strength gave out and he

groveled in front of the Inquisitor

Inoue? Went on his knees like a dog?

27

GARUPE:

That’s still just a rumor. Even if

this Inoue is the devil everyone

claims, Ferreira would stand up to

him.

RODRIGUES:

You don’t seem so certain, Francisco.

(no reply from Garupe)

One of us has to go to Nagasaki and

find him.

GARUPE:

It’s too dangerous. If we’re caught

there will be terrible reprisals to

the people who shelter us.

RODRIGUES:

Then Kichijiro can go and bring back

word we can act on.

GARUPE:

Are you mad? Where is he? Kichijiro’s

never sober. You know he can’t be

trusted.

RODRIGUES:

So we stay here like this? No. We must

do something to find Father Ferreira.

Garupe bangs his food bowl down on another swarm of lice.

GARUPE:

Yes. Of course. But first I have to

find all these lice.

The SOUND of the rock echoes through the hut as Garupe

continues to attack the lice.

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