The film's set in the 1800s and is derived from an Italian novel by Alessandro Baricco. I don't know much about him, but I know a movie derived from a book almost always seems long, drawn-out, and slightly repetitive. 'Silk' is no different. It borders on arthouse, and with dialogue few and far between, the viewer has plenty of pre-war industrial France to gaze at.
From Helene's garden to the stony rickety footsteps of the small town and then into the snow-laden fields of Japan, the story is about silkworm smuggling that draws you in just enough to enjoy the ride but almost like you're in a car with no air-conditioning on a hot summer's day. You eagerly want to get you're going, but it's just so uncomfortable you want the trip to end, but still, you relieve yourself by stopping and refilling and having a Slurpee.
Bits of brilliance scarcely peppered throughout the movie aid you in enjoying this Slurpee experience. The acting is fantastic, and costumes spot on for that era; not a hair out of place.
So back to the reason I picked up the film. Keira Knightley does an average job in this movie, considering she only appears in one-third of it. She's not the star, Herve (Michael Pitt) is, and there's an incredible sense of strong will in the story; a man must do what he has to do in kind of sense. And the consequences turn out to be dire, with the women playing the man's fiddle almost always.
I recommend watching it for its mystery and arthouse-ness, but its letdown was its story and script. Given it is translated from Italian, maybe that's where the meaning of the words was lost; the story is not strong enough. Sure it is about courage, love, commitment, confusion, and ultimately sacrifice neatly disguised, but somehow in all of the silkworm smuggling, the meaning and the clarity of the story get lost.