A Silent Voice can be a very difficult film to watch due to how raw and unflinching it is, tackling head-on, issues of bullying, anxiety, loneliness, depression and suicide, and their long-term fallout for both victim and perpetrator. And though it explores such delicate themes, it is also a film about friendship, about support, about togetherness, about communication - the ‘shape of voice’. It is one of the most emotive and gut-wrenchingly beautiful films I have ever experienced, not just in terms of its visuals and intricate animation, but also due to the depth and emotional complexity of its characters and the trials they endure.