‘What does Christ want from us?’

When Terrence Malick saw the picture, he wrote Martin Scorsese a letter asking him, ‘What does Christ want from us?’.

Martin Scorsese first read Shusaku Endo’s novel Silence in the late 1980s and was deeply moved by its powerful story. He wanted to adapt it into a film right away, but faced years of challenges—securing the rights, funding the project, and finding the right moment to make it. Other film commitments also delayed the process. Still, he never let go of the idea. After nearly three decades, Silence finally became a reality in 2016—a passion project he had carried in his heart for most of his career.