As Silence prepares to hit select theaters this weekend (the rest of you will have to wait until January), Paramount has unveiled a new international trailer for Martin Scorsese’s long-developing passion project — an epic drama based on Japanese author Shusaku Endo’s acclaimed novel. There are a couple of notable things about this trailer for Silence: For one, it’s a bit more intense than the domestic versions, and because it’s a Japanese trailer, the Japanese cast members are more prominently featured.

That’s a good thing, as many have pointed out the disappointing lack of praise for the film’s Japanese cast members (particularly Tadanobu Asano and Issey Ogata) — especially since Silence centers on the Catholic church’s attempts to spread its religion in Japan. The Japanese trailer is also somewhat more compelling than the U.S. versions in its editing, which properly highlights just how intense Scorsese’s drama truly is.

Here’s the official synopsis for Silence, which also stars Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, and Andrew Garfield:

Martin Scorsese’s “Silence” tells the story of two Christian missionaries (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) who face the ultimate test of faith when they travel to Japan in search of their missing mentor (Liam Neeson) – at a time when Christianity was outlawed and their presence forbidden.

Silence will hit select theaters in New York and Los Angeles on December 23 before expanding to additional theaters nationwide in the following weeks.

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