Shoko is a new girl in an elementary school. She is deaf. Instead of everyone being friendly to her, a number of students bully her, to the extent that they destroy her hearing aids. Shoya, a tough kid, is the meanest. But when Shoya is confronted by the school, he rats out his friends.
Ostracized in junior high, Shoya withdraws. He doesn’t try
to make friends in high school. Seriously depressed, he seeks out Shoko in her
school. She’s so scared of him, she runs off.
He wants to make amends, but doesn’t know how. What will
happen with these two damaged people?
A Silent Voice is a beautiful movie. The way the
characters move—whether children, teenagers, or adults—is completely realistic.
And in typical Japanese style, there are some static scenes that show flowers
or trees. It is up to you to figure out if there is anything symbolic about
Shoya extending his arm for some yellow blooms that are beyond his reach.
Be warned, this movie is an emotional roller coaster. It
would be nice to say that Shoya simply outgrows being a bully, but that wouldn’t
be true. He had to go through his own torturous time. And it would be nice to say
that Shoko stays a cheerful person, but she is just as emotionally damaged as
he is. And the school doesn’t seem equipped to deal with bullying. There are no
simple solutions here; just individuals not knowing how to put their lives back
together from bullying and depression.
The movie does have some flaws. The names Shoya and Shoko
sound too much alike. The early parts of the story are shown in a disjointed
manner, which can be confusing. The use of a blue X on a person’s face to show
that Shoya is not making eye contact gets tiresome. And the movie feels like
it’s a little too long. However, it’s realistic in that getting over that much
emotional damage would not happen instantly.
I’ve never been to Japan, but here are a few notes to
explain some curiosities in the movie:
Q. What’s with all the hair colors?
A. Some anime show people all with dark hair. In this case,
the animators chose very different hair colors so we can easily tell the characters
apart.
Q. Why does Shoya’s mother always cook meals on what looks
like a large hot plate in the middle of their equivalent of a dining table?
A. That’s normal in Japan.
Q. How much is a yen worth?
A. Less than a penny.
Q. What are the hand motions Shoya’s mother makes towards
him while he is in their car?
A. In the West, we beckon with one finger up. In Japan, it’s
four fingers down. So at first she beckons to him with four fingers down, then
changes her mind and splays her hand at him, telling him to stay.
Q. Why do Shoko and her mother suddenly dress in kimonos?
A. For some festivals, women and teenage girls still dress
in kimonos.
I know that some purists will wish to see the subtitled
version, but with some characters speaking at the same time, the dubbed version
will be easier to understand.
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