When people think Martin Scorsese, they think Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and of course the city of New York.. However, Silence—the acclaimed auteur’s latest film, out now—is quite different from these past classics. Based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Shusaku Endu, the film follows a pair of 17th century priests as they set out to find their mentor and compatriot, Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson), who is said to have denounced Christianity while proselytizing in Japan. Advertised primarily as an adventure, Silence in fact focuses on the inner struggles and discoveries of the fathers Ferreira, Garupe (Adam Driver), and Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield), as their faith is alternately strengthened and battered by their time in Japan.

While much of the film’s drama flows from the heads and hearts of its characters, there is nevertheless a grandeur to Silence that will captivate the audience. From the bird’s eye view of Garupe, Rodrigues, and Father Valignano (Ciarán Hinds) descending the stairs at St. Paul’s College in Macau to upward-looking shots of Japan’s looming mountains, man is made small by the film’s expansive and imposing world. This visual openness also strikingly contrasts with the confinement, both physical and spiritual, that the priests eventually face.

Religion plays a central role in Silence, and I found myself wondering whether I considered it to be a “religious” film. Could similar messages have been conveyed in a film where conflict was not driven by the opposition of two organized faiths? Ultimately, while the specific historical basis of the story (including the Tokugawa shogunate’s vehement condemnation of Catholicism) are fundamental to Silence, it is a more general kind of faith–believing in something–that lies at the heart of the film. And Silence, ironically enough, has much to say about this topic. In particular, the film explores the notion that while true believers must endure God’s silence, sometimes their best response is a silence of their own.

In any case, Silence exhibits some truly beautiful moments. That Garfield’s Rodrigues is striving to spread Western religion into the villages of Japan at times becomes secondary to the fact that he brings the universal, human element of hope to a group of people that has been oppressed for many years. Several supporting characters are noteworthy as well, such as Kijichiro (Yosuke Kubozuka), the enigmatic Japanese Christian who brings the priests from China to his homeland. Prone to shunning his faith in public, yet always adamant about confessing his sins, Kijichiro provides a complex foil to Father Rodrigues’ unshakable believer.

This is a movie for everyone, regardless of faith. It tells a story pertaining to what makes us human, and how we should treat each other; for these reasons, Silence is well worth seeing.