It feels wrong to critically evaluate The Voice of Hind Rajab. Especially when you consider that this is just one of thousands of stories. There are thousands of Hind’s out there, whose stories never got told, whose pleas have been buried in the rubble of Gaza, and whose smiles have been lost forever.
Kaouther Ben Hania’s film is centred around the Red Crescent volunteers, who on the unfortunate day of the 29th of January 2024, received the call of a six-year-old Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab. Hind and her family were attempting to flee Gaza City, following the onslaught of terror and siege by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip. The car Hind and her family were travelling in came under heavy IDF gunfire, which killed her aunt, uncle and her three cousins. Using real audio clips from the 70-minute-long call, the film is centred around these volunteers as they tackle the slow bureaucracy, unable to reach the stranded girl, maintaining their composure while trying to comfort Hind at the same time.
The Voice of Hind Rajab is an extremely hard film to sit through. You might require breaks, some fresh air, and probably even need to stop altogether. As I heard the pleas of Hind Rajab, I found myself breaking and my throat getting dry, each time she said “Come get me” or “Save me”. The moment Hind innocently tells the volunteers that her family members are sleeping, to the audience finally realising that they are dead, is heartbreaking. You cannot see Hind Rajab, but her voice alone is a powerful force that makes it extremely clear what she is going through.
Juan Sarmiento G., the cinematographer, uses a handheld camera to shoot the film, which helps to create a close, intimate bond. The close-up and occasional blurring of the frames make the film extremely tense. It sometimes feels like you are in the room with these volunteers yourselves.
You will feel the frustration, desperation, and tears of these characters. It’s a situation most of us would never experience, but these actors do justice to it. You can feel the weight of responsibilities on their shoulders and the pressure that comes with it. To know that only you can do something, but at the same time feeling powerless to do anything because even your hands are restrained by the occupying forces of Israel.
The Voice of Hind Rajab is now showing in the Irish Film Institute and The Lighthouse, and has been nominated for an Oscar for Best International Feature Film.
