Another day, another adaptation, and this time it’s yet another coming-of-age romance. However, there are some harsh realities here that are not often touched upon in this generally frivolous genre. It’s been a while since a movie that had a good message and a sweet story at the same time came out, and Follow My Voice fills the void perfectly. The Spanish-language film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name that tells the story of Klara, a teenager who can’t leave her house after incidents of bullying combined with her anxiety crippled her and led her to develop agoraphobia. Klara hasn’t gone to school in over 70 days, but there’s one thing she does almost religiously every night at home. A boy named Kang RJ has a show online that she can’t stop listening to. It’s called “Follow My Voice,” and Kang’s definitely got Klara mesmerized. After interacting with him by sending a painting she made to his social media once, Kang and Klara get talking, and that’s how this love story begins.
But that’s not all that it is. Follow My Voice has the premise of a basic love story, but it tackles many deeper conflicts, such as the struggles of anxiety and depression, what it’s like to be a young cancer survivor, and how hard it is to make friends after having been bullied so badly that you can’t leave your house. More importantly, it encourages therapy and also the use of art and creativity for the kids to explore their feelings and emotions, making it a great premise overall.
Now, I’ve seen my fair share of movies, so it’s not surprising when I find some things boring or uninspired because, over the years, it does start to feel repetitive and like there’s really nothing interesting going on. But Follow My Voice, despite having a generic approach, does still manage to grab your attention thanks to its good messaging and well-presented story. The pacing of the film is decent, and though it’s visually gritty in the Fault In Our Stars kind of way, it also attempts to be colorful by using a similar-sounding background score and artwork to our beloved Heartstopper. Honestly, I can’t blame them, because the show has had such an impact on lives over the last couple of years, and it’s aesthetically wonderful.
In a sea of sexually charged teen romances where the teens don’t even look like kids and the sex overpowers the actual plot, Follow My Voice genuinely feels like a breath of fresh air in every way possible. It’s got a good heartfelt story, and the kids actually look like kids. Also, don’t get me wrong, they’re wonderfully attractive too, but thanks to the natural makeup and maybe the old-school dressing, the characters look like they’re actually still growing up and fit the roles perfectly. The film does a good job of depicting the age group that we’re dealing with.
I don’t know if it’s fair to make this a trigger warning, but there is one scene that might cause some distress amongst very young viewers, only because they wouldn’t know what it’s showing or how to react to it. Here’s a little spoiler warning, so if you’re not planning on watching this with young kids, you can definitely skip to the next paragraph. There’s a scene where a character shows her mastectomy scars to another character. It would be good to explain what’s going on in real time rather than having to find out later that a kid you know watched it by themselves and didn’t know what to make of it. When it comes to teenagers, of course, they’ll probably figure it out, so that should be fine. Hopefully, they’ll handle it with sensitivity.
With highly successful Spanish language Wattpad adaptations such as Through My Window and Tell Me Softly, this movie was sure to make waves, but I wonder if the sensitive subjects could work to make it a little less popular. Honestly, though, I’d recommend this one more than the others. The film does a very good job of dealing with the difficult subject matter in a mature way. I think this can be owed to the source material being creatively motivated as well.
I think it’s been a while since I complimented a teen film so much, and I’m glad I can, because we need more stories such as this one, which feel grounded in reality and also give representation and relatability to those who might not see it often in the media. Klara and Kang are both great characters to look up to, and despite the romance, they’ve each got distinct personalities, and there’s nothing 2D about them. Also, unlike the typical Wattpad adaptations, this film feels like a real story with a start and an end, rather than the other ones I mentioned earlier that feel like everything is forced and we already need to know what’s going on as we step into the film. As if it’s only for those who’ve read the novels.
As someone who hasn’t read (or hadn’t even heard of) Follow My Voice before today, I thought it was a really well-made and well-rounded film that is definitely worth watching. It’s got a good plot and a good cast that executes it well. The film definitely takes inspiration from the latest teen romances in terms of its aesthetic, but that’s okay, because it definitely tries to make it its own. At the end of the day, this is a good start to your 2026 because it’s not some lame film that is desperate to get views but actually has sweet chemistry and an unproblematic plot. With that said, I give Follow My Voice 3 out of 5 stars and definitely recommend it if Y/A romance is your thing.
