Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Potentially upsetting scenes in poignant short docu.
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Why Age 8+?
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Makayla's Voice: A Letter to the World
What's the Story?
MAKAYLA'S VOICE: A LETTER TO THE WORLD is about Makayla Cain, a 14-year-old girl who was born with a rare syndrome that makes her mostly nonverbal. Thanks to a specialist, she begins communicating via a letterboard, expressing her thoughts and feelings for the first time to her stunned family members. In this film, those thoughts, some of which are read in the form of letters written to friends and family members, are voiced by an actor while we see Makayla and her family in their home and environment.
Is It Any Good?
This poetically narrated, beautifully visualized short film offers a glimpse into the world of an exceptional teenager and a poignant documentation of her inspiring story. It is a testament to director Julio Palacio's insightfulness that Makayla's Voice: A Letter to the World is kept to 24 minutes, especially in an age of overly long documentaries. In that amount of time, the film conveys the very special person Makayla is, and the shock her parents felt when she first began communicating via a letterboard at age 14.
It turns out Makayla is intelligent and deeply thoughtful, nearly a poet. "I dream of one day hearing my voice," she says (via an actor's voice-over). Makayla compares feeling trapped inside her body to the way the artist Van Gogh felt trapped inside his emotions. He used color to communicate while Makayla sees color in emotions and actions: "my soul sees what others cannot." Palacio dexterously visualizes these themes and ideas through a variety of techniques, from animation to on-camera interviews, from daily footage to lyrical images of nature that very nearly match the poetry of Makayla's words.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about some of the themes Makayla shares in her writing in Makayla's Voice: A Letter to the World. How would you describe what she expresses through her writing?
The people around Makayla demonstrate great compassion for her. Does that mean they never get frustrated or lose their patience?
In what ways does Makayla demonstrate perseverance? What examples from the film can you think of?
If you can imagine it, how do you think your own life and relationships would be different if you couldn't speak?
What do you think of the format of this film? Is 24 minutes enough to share Makayla's story? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : December 11, 2024
- Cast : Makayla Cain , Khari Cain
- Director : Julio Palacio
- Inclusion Information : Latino Movie Director(s) , South American Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , African American Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Character Strengths : Communication , Compassion , Empathy , Perseverance
- Run time : 24 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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