“What does it mean to be a friend?”
That’s the core struggle Shoya Ishida faces when he tries to
commit suicide at the start of the film. The moment on top of the bridge is the
cultimation of years of pain and misunderstandings. We are brought back to the
happy go lucky lives of Shoya and his friends before it all falls apart with
the introduction of the audibly impaired Shoko Nishimiya, a transfer student.
Intrigue gives way to harassment with Shoya acting as the leader – they abuse
her, they tease her and even write nasty things in her diary which she uses to
communicate with everyone.
It reaches a point when the mother reports it in and
all blame falls on Shoya, with his friends stranding him in guilt. This results
in Shoya being ostracized by everyone including himself (denoted so poignantly
with an X on every face around him except for his family).
The story starts off after his suicide attempt – and he
slowly reintrigates back into society by making new friends and reuniniting with
old ones. But the questions remain, as to what is being achieved from all this,
and it haunts Shoya throughout the story. Especially his shame at the past,
which the tries to avoid to the extent of severing off connection with all his reconnected
friends save Shoko, in vain hope that he can escape the person he was. It’s
only in the end that with the strength given to him by Shoko that he is able to
push himself back up again.
One of the more excellent themes analysed is the concept of
bullying. Especially the roles people take up. Kawai, one of Shoya’s ‘gang’
defends herself saying that she was just a passive onlooker while people like
Shoya and Ueno harassed Shoko and ostracized Miyoko for associating with her.
But as Ueno points out, that is no less to blame. This is not an easy topic to
discuss – but the film handles it tastefully with decorum and purpose,
especially through Ueno, who remain defiant throughout. Instead of everything
getting closure easily, she refuses to let Shoko keep playing the victim.
In a strange way, that is exactly what Shoko does
throughout. Helplessness is a characteristic that defines her until the last
stages of the film, only counteracted by her eternal cheerfulness. Ever since
she starts school, the most used word in her vocabulary becomes sorry – leading
to annoyance and pity from different parties. As she herself mentions later on,
the only one she truly hates is herself while in a way parallels Shoya’s
feelings. Growing from that to someone more self-reliant after her own suicide
attempt (which is aborted thanks to Shoya) shows that beyond just bullying,
indulging in self depreciation is harmful as well.
One of the best decisions made in the film is to ensure that
it doesn’t get bogged down inside a romantic story. While Shoko falls in love with
Shoya, that is never made into the focal point of the movie. Especially since
feelings are quite fluid throughout and worthy of questions – again its Ueno
who channels that by asking Shoya exactly why he is trying to reconnect with
Shoko. Is it out of guilt? This Shoya refutes and it is true. His attempt is
beyond an individual, it’s about rebuilding more than just one bond.
And it’s an attempt to understand – the bonds they all once
shared before the innocence shattered. By the end of the film, the Xs falls off
the faces around Shoya as he realizes his success. The horrors of the past are
to be learnings, and not hidden away.
The cast is crafted wonderfully with sentiment and humour.
The latter especially comes from Ishida’s new best friend Nagatsuka. Another
pivotal character is Yuzuru, who becomes the catalyst for ensuring Shoya is
able to make amends with the Nishiyama family for what he did to their
daughter. Parental figures don’t have much scope, but the cameos are insightful
as feelings and maturity shine through even in the most difficult of
households.
And in the end, even if everything doesn’t work out, we keep
on trying. Overall an excellent film that demands a watch and leaves you satisfied by the end.
So, I give it 9.0 out 10.
+Great multidimensional cast
+Excellent exploration of some interesting themes
+Beautiful animation
-A tad overlong with repetition in certain arcs
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