Actually, I found this film very difficult, which as a work of art is to its credit.

It raised a lot of not easy to answer questions, about the arrogance/violence of missionaries for example, presuming to know better and tell a people how to live/believe.

Also, as a non-Christian, it got me thinking about how Christians (even lapsed ones, artists, etc...) have a tendency to make a fetish of pain. Which is why the film itself is so gory and almost made a virtue of this suffering--as though to say, this depiction of violence is not gratuitous, but part and parcel of our (Catholic) faith...

Lastly, the enigmatic and complicated figure of Father Ferriera was truly devastating. Did he sell out? Did he deeply internalize his faith, and compromise, so he can cope with his life's circumstances. These, and the "antagonistic dialogues" that you describe so well, above, make for a disturbing work of art (that, I admit, left me in tears and in silence...)