A Silent Voice: The Movie (2018)

Sadly Over-hyped

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Remind me this song: Ozzy Osbourne And Lita Ford - Close My Eyes Forever

There is seldom a movie with such complexity and nuance as Naoko Yamada's Koe No Katachi, known in English as A Silent Voice. Right off the bat, the English title loses much in translation. A direct translation would actually be The Shape of Voice, which, as the movie progresses, is a much more descriptive and meaningful title. At its most basic plot point, it is the story of two young people who are dealing with the ramifications of bullying, self-hatred, and a search for redemption and acceptance. In the opening scene, teenager Shoya Ishida is climbing the ledge of a bridge, intending to commit suicide. He's interrupted by the sound of children playing with fireworks. He stops what he's doing, and then the film launches into a series of flashbacks. As a 6th-grader, Shoya is a rambunctious kid, easily bored and always looking for action. Then one day, a new student, Shoko Nishimiya, comes to class. Shoko happens to be Deaf, and carries a notebook with her so that she can communicate with her hearing classmates. The class accepts her with curiosity, eager to be her "helper" as she goes through the school day. But as children are wont to do at that age, the classmates soon tire of their new responsibility and their interest and curiosity soon wanes. Students slowly begin to take frustration out on Shoko, including Shoya. In fact, Shoya becomes relentless in his bullying, ripping out Shoko's hearing aids and tossing them into the water. The bullying becomes so bad, in fact, that Shoko's mother complains to the school, and the teacher demands someone be punished. Naturally, all fingers point to Shoya. His mother, a single mom, has to dig into her savings to repay Shoko's mother for the lost hearing aids, and to beg for forgiveness for her son's behavior. From then on, Shoya becomes the brunt of everyone's ire. He has become a pariah, labeled the school bully. Meanwhile, Shoko tries desperately to befriend him and teach him Sign Language. He wants nothing to do with her. Shoko's mother removes her from the school and has her placed in a different school.And so begins their journey. As time passes, Shoya does what he can to make amends for his behavior in the past. He takes Sign Language lessons. He searches for Shoko to see if she can ever forgive him. He isolates himself from everyone at school and refuses to look anyone in the eye. He works to earn money to pay his mother back. It is at this point he had made that decision to end his own life, luckily stopping to reflect. What he doesn't know is that Shoko has her own demons to fight, part of which has to do with her family's reaction to her hearing loss. She is the one deaf child in her family. Her sister and grandmother learn signs, but her mother does not. And Shoko is continually made to feel inferior. She keeps a pleasant smile on her face, trying desperately not to cause anyone unhappiness. Secretly, though, she is filled with self-loathing and wonders if the world would be better off without her.When the two finally reconnect, they are still hampered by their own self-recriminations. Their journey has only begun.Yamada is a master at using symbolic references. Everything in this movie has layers of meaning. Shoko's notebook is a physical representation of her desire to be accepted. A koi pond figures prominently in the movie, referencing our two protagonists' harsh journey to find meaning. Daisies grow defiantly through the cracks in cement, literally demonstrating the blossoming of their self-discovery and the resilience of youth.It's a beautifully orchestrated movie, utilizing sight-and sound-to convey all the complexities of life. In fact, there are several scenes where the music is discordant and slightly muted, almost mechanical. Maybe it's a way of demonstrating the way that Shoko hears. But it's also a way of demonstrating how both Shoko and Shoya feel about themselves.Without a doubt, this is one of the best movies made in 2017. While it is a fantasy of sorts, it is well grounded in the realities of adolescence, and should be considered for serious review. It is certainly a coming of age movie, encompassing all of the angst that teenagers go through as they navigate relationships. At first glance, several of the characters seem almost flat-or like a caricature. There's the pretty girl, the mean girl, the tom boy, the cool kid, the wannabe. These are the typical roles kids take on in school. But Yamada reminds us that no one is a caricature. We are all multifaceted beings with our own personal hopes and fears, and within this film we see those hopes and fears played out again and again, sometimes as comic relief. Sometimes with tragic consequences.At the heart of this movie is this desire to be heard. But before one can be heard, one has to stop and listen. Both Shoya and Shoko are trying to communicate and find forgiveness, but before that can happen they both need to learn how to forgive themselves and they both need to learn how to listen to each other. Really listen. Really see. Because voice isn't always audible. Voice takes shape in a number of ways. And part of growing up is finding that voice and sharing that voice with others. Yamada asks us "What do you sound like to others? What shape is your voice?"

A Silent Voice is an emotional and beautiful movie that almost anyone can relate to in some shape or form.The story is both heart wrenching and heartwarming, as it tackles many issues such as bullying, social anxiety, depression, and suicide. Many of the characters deal with some or all of these issues. The issues the characters deal with in the past ultimately lead them into becoming what they are in the present movie. There are many characters in a Silent Voice with some shining more than others. Shoya is a great main protagonist who (unlike most movies) is battling something much bigger in his life, his past self. The other main character Shoko is outstanding. You can really genuinely feel all her emotions just through her facial animations alone. Other notable characters I enjoyed were Shoya's best friend Tomohiro (who brought a nice comedic presence to the film) and Shoko's little sister Yuzuru. My only problem with a Silent Voice is with a couple of side characters who show up once and a while, but don't really contribute as much to the film - this is only a small nitpick though.The majority of the music in a Silent Voice is played only by piano making the film take a more somber tone. This makes a lot of scenes feel more peaceful and calm contradicting what many of the characters feel deep down inside. The song titled "Lit" is a beautiful piano piece that I believe would make anyone emotional, when listening to it. So I enjoyed a lot of music in a Silent Voice with a couple of songs that really stood out.The animation in this movie is absolutely gorgeous. There's a firework scene that is beautiful, it definitely is the animation highlight in this film...it's breathtaking.In conclusion, I absolutely love this film. Everything feels so genuine and the characters feel so real. It really feels like there was a lot of love and care put into this movie and it definitely shows. This movie made me cry and I can almost assure you that it will do the same to you. Final rating 9.510

I know a lot of you would disagree with me but this movie is by far better then Your Name. Look I know Your Name is 2017's best anime movie but I have to disagree. Personally I think this movie shows teaches you how to deal with bullies, not to go into depression of killing your self and how you can seek redemption of your past mistakes. This movie even explains to you doesn't matter if you are deaf or blind there is always help and places you can fit into. Long story short you must watch this movie.