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Trailer

Plot

In the movie, Shoya goes on a journey of redemption that turns him from a bully who torments a deaf girl into an outcast as a result of his own actions.
The story, starts with a desperate act: Shoya Ishida, is about to jump off a bridge to end his life, but he decides against it because of a distant but important memory. A deaf-mute girl named Shoko Nishimiya enters Shoya's class five years earlier, and her classmates' initial shyness quickly turns aggressive. Despite Shoko's best efforts, a tiny faction lead by Shoya turns against her despite her best efforts to be kind and helpful to everyone. Shoya is still unable to forgive himself for the wrongs she did to Shoko five years later, in part because the result of those wrongdoings is that he is now completely alone.

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Why you should watch it?

A silent voice is fundamentally a Japanese movie, and I don't just mean that in terms of the setting. I'm specifically referring to the situations, behaviors, and ways of thinking and acting that can occasionally strike us Westerners as odd, especially for those who view the Land of the Rising Sun as an alien planet. First of all, the movie moves incredibly slowly. Of course as unfolding, but also as storytelling. Many moments of silence, numerous slow-motion images of inconspicuous daily actions, and numerous panoramic and tracking shots of the charcters' surroundings, including flowers (other than the ever-present cherry trees), streets, and buildings. The same patterns of behavior and travel highlight the monotony of a life that seems to move along almost by inertia. Sometimes the framing is static, lingering on a specific detail as the off-screen voices continue to follow each other. Often the framing lingers on moving feet: you do not see faces, you only see the pavement, the flowerbed, and the shoe. The flowers, which appear in many shapes and sorts throughout the story's arc, have a very particular importance; In Japan, it is well known that much attention is paid to Hanakotoba ('The Language of Flowers,' which holds that every flower expresses something) and Ikebana ('The Art of Flower Arrangement,' a true art form with which to convey a message).

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This is not a quirk of the director but has a deeper meaning that can be associated with Shouko. Since communication is a serious issue for Shouko, the director's repetitive and prolonged shots of flowers serve to further emphasize the parallel between the desperate desire for communication and the difficulties of doing so in a "regular" way. The stubbornness with which people call one other by their last names among friends, the bending of apologies even when one is not at fault, and, most importantly, the tendency to consider things left unsaid more than things spoken are all very Japanese traits. Due to Shouko's condition, incommunicability becomes a focal point in interpersonal connections, even amplified and elevated to new heights. The movie (and the original manga on which it was based) are incredibly Japanese when they criticize the excesses and social ills. Bullying is directly indicted by A silent voice, of course, but it is also an indictment of hypocrisy on the part of those who place a premium on honor and appearance, of prejudice against the disabled, of the apathy and sociopathy that are increasingly affecting young people, and finally of depression as a real illness.

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But bullying is not the main theme of the movie, as many can think; it serves as the catalyst for an inner discomfort that takes on decidedly tragic implications. And it is by looking at it from this point of view that we learn that Ishida initially rejects the world because he rejects himself. Or even doesn't comprehend the evil that frequently and unintentionally permeates our lives and societies.
Since everyone around him has a blue and white x on their face from the outset, the oddity of the movie is readily apparent. This x has several symbolic implications. It stands for his lack of connection with others and his inability to look people in the eye and so get to know them.

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The preface states that the voice's shape reflects a particular staging methodology and bravely and with extreme technical precision tackles difficult and delicate issues, describing them in a language that has obviously attracted the public's attention (the film was a box office success in Japan).

Even from this basic symbolism, we can comprehend The Shape of the Voice's essence, which is typical of many manga: it transports us back to the existential dramas that take place throughout the transition from childhood to adulthood. The main character is completely alienated and is afraid to look at or listen to other people. The urge to end his life is the culmination of this state.

As a result, Ishida seems to us at the beginning of the story as the victim, but eventually we find it quite difficult to relate to him. Although nothing in this movie is black and white; everyone is a fan of various colors.

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The Shape of the Voice gives depth to its visual distinctiveness through the use of pastel colors and light pencil strokes without resorting to the overtly computer-generated animation common of so many other congeners, making it a true feast for the eyes. Such aesthetic beauty contaminates the delicacy of the visuals with the roughness of violence, both verbal and physical, as it feeds on realistic details, pyrotechnic panoramas, and barely noticeable motions. Blood and tears are mixed freely in The Shape of the Voice; there are times when wrath takes over, and the intensity of some scenes shakes our hearts.

Up to this point this movie seems like a perfect one, but actually there is a big issue that I haven't yet addressed and that made me decrease my final rate.
What I didn't like about the movie, is the human responses, and I will explain why. Although she is deaf, Shoko is first enrolled in a regular school; nevertheless, is this really possible? I am not familiar with the Japanese educational system. If that's the case, shouldn't the teacher assist her in some way? Evidently not; in reality, Shoko is bullied by her classmates in front of the instructor, who is acting entirely impartially. What does the teacher do when Shoko's mother complains to the headmaster? Even though Shoya wasn't the only bully, he chooses to hold him responsible.

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Conclusion

A silent voice is a great movie, but it requires at least a vague understanding in Japanese culture (as I already pointed out before) to really appreciate its magnitude. It is a film that leaves its mark and provides plenty to think about. The more sensitive viewers should keep Kleenex nearby.
So, of course I strongly recommend you to watch it.

Rating

My personal vote is:

8.5/10