A Silent Voice: The Movie
映画 聲の形
A Silent Voice: The Movie
映画 聲の形
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Watch-outs
What this film brings
Content barometer
Violence
2/5
Moderate
Fear
3/5
Notable tension
Sexuality
1/5
Allusions
Language
1/5
Mild
Narrative complexity
3/5
Complex
Adult themes
0/5
None
Expert review
This Japanese animated film is a deeply emotional school drama about bullying, guilt, disability, and repair, with a tone that is often sad and reflective rather than action driven. The sensitive material mainly involves sustained psychological cruelty toward a deaf girl, some physical bullying, strong social rejection, family grief, and most importantly explicit suicidal thoughts, including one very intense suicide attempt scene. These elements are not graphic, but they are central to the story and carry significant emotional weight, so the challenge comes more from the themes and feelings than from visual intensity. Younger children may be especially affected by the humiliation, loneliness, and self blame shown throughout the film. I would recommend it from about age 11 with an adult present, so there is room to discuss bullying, disability, remorse, and the importance of seeking help when someone feels hopeless.
Synopsis
Shouya Ishida starts bullying the new girl in class, Shouko Nishimiya, because she is deaf. But as the teasing continues, the rest of the class starts to turn on Shouya for his lack of compassion. When they leave elementary school, Shouko and Shouya do not speak to each other again... until an older, wiser Shouya, tormented by his past behaviour, decides he must see Shouko once more. He wants to atone for his sins, but is it already too late...?
Difficult scenes
Early in the story, a deaf schoolgirl is repeatedly bullied by a boy and by the wider class group. The film shows mocking behavior, exclusion, and damage to her hearing aids, which can be especially upsetting for children who are sensitive to cruelty or unfairness. The teenage main character later lives with severe emotional distress, overwhelming guilt, and clearly expressed suicidal thoughts. His preparation for a suicide attempt is portrayed in a serious and sorrowful way, without graphic detail, but the subject itself is very heavy for younger viewers. Later on, a confrontation between former classmates brings the bullying back to the surface, and several characters try to avoid responsibility. This scene is driven by blame, shame, and verbal cruelty rather than action, and it may strongly affect children who have experienced social conflict at school. One particularly intense sequence shows a character in emotional crisis putting themselves in danger from a high place, followed by a rescue attempt and a fall. The scene is brief but highly stressful because it combines fear of death, panic, and the emotional weight of self blame.
Where to watch
No verified platform for the US market yet. We keep this section updated as availability changes.
Availability checked on Apr 01, 2026
About this title
- Format
- Feature film
- Year
- 2016
- Runtime
- 2h 10m
- Countries
- Japan
- Original language
- JA
- Studios
- Kyoto Animation, ABC Animation, Kodansha, Pony Canyon, Quaras, Shochiku
Content barometer
Violence
2/5
Moderate
Fear
3/5
Notable tension
Sexuality
1/5
Allusions
Language
1/5
Mild
Narrative complexity
3/5
Complex
Adult themes
0/5
None
Expert review
This Japanese animated film is a deeply emotional school drama about bullying, guilt, disability, and repair, with a tone that is often sad and reflective rather than action driven. The sensitive material mainly involves sustained psychological cruelty toward a deaf girl, some physical bullying, strong social rejection, family grief, and most importantly explicit suicidal thoughts, including one very intense suicide attempt scene. These elements are not graphic, but they are central to the story and carry significant emotional weight, so the challenge comes more from the themes and feelings than from visual intensity. Younger children may be especially affected by the humiliation, loneliness, and self blame shown throughout the film. I would recommend it from about age 11 with an adult present, so there is room to discuss bullying, disability, remorse, and the importance of seeking help when someone feels hopeless.
Synopsis
Shouya Ishida starts bullying the new girl in class, Shouko Nishimiya, because she is deaf. But as the teasing continues, the rest of the class starts to turn on Shouya for his lack of compassion. When they leave elementary school, Shouko and Shouya do not speak to each other again... until an older, wiser Shouya, tormented by his past behaviour, decides he must see Shouko once more. He wants to atone for his sins, but is it already too late...?
Difficult scenes
Early in the story, a deaf schoolgirl is repeatedly bullied by a boy and by the wider class group. The film shows mocking behavior, exclusion, and damage to her hearing aids, which can be especially upsetting for children who are sensitive to cruelty or unfairness. The teenage main character later lives with severe emotional distress, overwhelming guilt, and clearly expressed suicidal thoughts. His preparation for a suicide attempt is portrayed in a serious and sorrowful way, without graphic detail, but the subject itself is very heavy for younger viewers. Later on, a confrontation between former classmates brings the bullying back to the surface, and several characters try to avoid responsibility. This scene is driven by blame, shame, and verbal cruelty rather than action, and it may strongly affect children who have experienced social conflict at school. One particularly intense sequence shows a character in emotional crisis putting themselves in danger from a high place, followed by a rescue attempt and a fall. The scene is brief but highly stressful because it combines fear of death, panic, and the emotional weight of self blame.