Director: Naoko Yamada
Year: 2016
Genre: Romance/Drama
You're either a fan of Your Name or Silent Voice? Which one am I? Well, that's for you to find out.
Shiori, a girl who is deaf, gets bullied in her school by Shoya, which leads to her transferring to another school. Disgusted by his action, Shoya wanted to make things right.
Where do I begin? This film for me has a strong message and it was showcased well. It's something we can all relate to, everyone has experienced some things in the past and some people have committed things they regret and want to make amendments in the future. The film strongly emphasises how despite a person's disability, they should not be looked down upon due to his/her abilities.
In terms of the narrative, the story had a solid approach from the beginning to the end. Solid and effective are the two words which I liked to think about in the film. The narrative mainly wanted to focus on the two characters from the start to the end, which shows the journey of how Shiori was constantly getting bullied by Shoya, and how eventually, as they get older, the pair started to build a bond for each other. But the thing I certainly liked was how Shoya, who was a person who felt bad bullying Shiori, wanted to make a change.
Loneliness, isolation and regrets are some of the three words that come to mind when I think of what the narrative is trying to portray - when watching Shiori, you can sense that due to her disability, she always constantly gets looked down upon and tends to be lonely and isolated - especially bullying is still a thing in this day and age and I like how a film can showcase the current problems we are facing. Shoya's character development in the film shows how mistakes can make a person better. He regrets what he has done and wants to make a change - which shows making a mistake is one thing, but changing yourself after making it is another.
The film has a clear and simple narrative structure with some message it's trying to get across. It's a simple narrative that everyone can get across and relate to. Do I think this film is better than Your Name? I would say in terms of the narrative, this films wins in this department.
Rating: 9/10
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