Amber Heard Addresses Johnny Depp Legal Battle in New Sundance Documentary Silenced
By Alexus Mosley
Amber Heard is back in the cultural conversation, but not in the way tabloids might’ve predicted.
The Aquaman star appears in a new documentary titled Silenced, which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Rather than recounting the Johnny Depp defamation trial itself, the film (which is directed by Selina Miles) explores how defamation lawsuits can be used to intimidate, discredit, and silence people (especially women) who speak publicly about abuse and power imbalances.
In Silenced, Heard makes extremely rare public comments about the aftermath of her protracted legal battles with her ex-husband, Johnny Depp. In one memorable moment, she says, “I have lost my ability to speak. I am not here to tell my story. I don’t want to tell my story. In fact, I don’t want to use my voice anymore.”
That poignant line sets the tone for her contribution, which is less about revisiting the headlines and more about interrogating what it means to have your voice weaponized against you. Though Heard has faced decades of media scrutiny after the couple’s divorce and subsequent defamation trials, Silenced reframes her experience as part of a broader conversation on power, justice, and free speech.
The documentary also includes stories from activists, lawyers, and survivors around the world, emphasizing how legal systems can chill speech and dissuade survivors from coming forward.
Whether Silenced will shift the public narrative around Heard is still up for debate, but it’s already generating buzz for its bold framing of defamation not as a legal technicality, but as a cultural force with real human consequences.