A Silent Voice: The Movie (2016) – 8/10 – Beautiful movie about friendship and redemption
Overall
A SILENT VOICE is a fascinating but heartbreaking coming-of-age drama anime based on a manga. Anyone who has grown up and experienced bullying, whether as a bully or perpetrator, can relate. The repercussions of bullying can be lifelong, but even bullies can redeem themselves through their actions. People don’t become bullies because they are born evil, but because they were bullied or struggle with their own issues. This isn’t to justify bullies, but to understand what creates one. Bullies and their victims typically have more in common than they may realize. The main character, Shoko, understood that better than any adult or child concerning her bully, Shoya. We get every nuance from the perspective of children as they become teenagers. Though imperfect, the movie itself is poignant and insightful in how it handles a heavy topic. The themes focus on overcoming obstacles and life troubles, friendship, bullying, anxiety, depression, love, and redemption. My rating is 8/10.
Plot (spoiler-free)
Little Shoko moves to a new elementary school. She is deaf and gets ostracized by the other students for differing from them. Young Shoya bullies her daily, even after she forgives him each time. The abuse gets worse, and his few friends join in to mock her and laugh at her. Shoko apologizes and begs for acceptance from Shoya, but that makes the bullying worse. Other kids don’t take the chance to hear her and accept her for being different. The bullying becomes so intense that Shoko changes schools. After the principal and teacher call out Shoya, the students turn on him and bully him into isolation. Years later, Shoya, on the verge of suicide after overwhelming depression, runs into Shoko and decides he must make things right with her for his past behavior. And forgive his classmates, who made him an outcast.
Technicals
A SILENT VOICE oozes with charm throughout. Direction, wonderful main characters, authentic voice-acting, brilliant animation, pleasing music, writing, and decent pacing are the standout aspects. The buildup to an unexpected climax feels like a journey through the minds of the former bully and the bullied, showing how pain impacts them both. Though Shoko struggles to talk and uses sign language, her depiction allows us to read her through her body language and expressions. Hats off to the visuals. Atmosphere, colors, intricate details, world building, settings, and character models leave you stunned and engaged. I enjoyed the voice work in the English dub I watched—the girl who plays the deaf Shoko in the dub is deaf in real-life. While there are many strengths, several flaws hamper the potential. The biggest flaw is time jumps, which became confusing. Second, there are multiple scenes that drift, requiring tighter editing to fix. Third, the story introduces supporting characters without developing them. As remarkable as the plot is, characterization is crucial to any story. I mixed up the individuals in Shoya’s friend circle until I was unsure who was who. It became difficult to tell their stories apart. According to trivia, the original manga was seven volumes, which forced the filmmakers to remove content. They didn’t need this many side roles and should have removed several plot lines to bolster characterization. The attention should center on Shoko, Shoya, and a few friends. Do more with less.
Would I recommend this?
Yes, I recommend this movie. The English dubbed version is the one I watched, and it was well done. A SILENT VOICE will move you to tears, as it did for me and a friend who said it made her cry. The message it sends is heartwarming and filled with emotional depth. One who tries to open their heart to others and embraces kindness is never alone. Individuals can transform for the better if they choose.
*Obtained trivia facts from IMDb’s trivia page and plot/basic history/names information from Wiki
