A Silent Voice: The Movie (映画 聲の形 )

Total Film by

Viewing the heightened emotion and drama of adolescence with an unjudgemental eye, it’s a reminder that schooldays are always the best.

Los Angeles Times by Charles Solomon

Its wrenching honesty provides a potent counter to the simple-minded let’s-all-be-friends-and-sing-a-song inanities of “My Little Pony,” “The Emoji Movie” and other recent American animated features.

ReelViews by James Berardinelli

Uses drawn images to peer into the dark corners of teenage life: bullying, self-loathing, and depression.

The Hollywood Reporter by Jordan Mintzer

Where director Yamada excels is in depicting the interior worlds of the two main characters, paying particular attention to details, whether visual or sonic, that seem to place a constant divide between Shoya and Shoko.

The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw

It’s a beguiling film: subtle, sensuous and delicate.

The Telegraph by Robbie Collin

Yamada makes a point of contrasting the agonising complexity of high-school life with the clean simplicity of the moments that really count: hushed conversations on a bridge in springtime, a shared roller-coaster ride under empty blue skies.

Village Voice by Sherilyn Connelly

It has some interesting visuals, but A Silent Voice demands investment in the redemption of someone who’s impossible to root for.

Time Out London by Trevor Johnston

Yamada’s creative direction shows a filmmaker with a distinctive way of looking at the world, following in the footsteps of other maverick Japanese talents like Ozu, Kitano and Miyazaki. Yep, she’s that good.