THE STORY – Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 6-year-old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her.
THE CAST – Saja Kilani, Motaz Malhees, Clara Khoury & Amer Hlehel
THE TEAM – Kaouther Ben Hania (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 90 Minutes
Ever since the conflict between the warring states of Israel and Palestine intensified almost two years ago, the world has been haunted by stories and images of unrelenting horror. Even those who aspire to a more nuanced political conversation acknowledge that the situation deserves it. However, it’s hard for anyone without a shred of humanity not to be moved by the unrelenting sorrow being visited upon that area of the world. For many who can only stand by and witness, there’s a certain amount of helplessness that takes over. You see the starvation, the executions, and the terror visited upon a civilian population and want to reach out. You hope the money you donate or the activism you spread makes that difference. However, it’s hard to know for certain. The characters in the center of “The Voice of Hind Rajab” are also desperately seeking intervention, hoping to do anything within their means to make an impact and lessen the suffering, even for a single individual. It’s a powerful examination, a heart-wrenching tale of persistence in saving a life despite desperate circumstances.
It’s January 2024, mere months after the attacks in Israel that have resulted in untold destruction visited upon the people of Gaza. Monitoring this activity is the Red Crescent, a volunteer organization in Palestine that helps to coordinate emergency services to those in need of immediate attention and rescue. One day, Omar (Motaz Malhees) answers a call from six-year-old Hind Rajab. She’s trapped in a car that has just been gunned down by Israeli soldiers and is still taking fire, with her being the only survivor of the attack. She calls out for help, and several other workers at the facility respond to offer assistance. Omar’s supervisor, Rana (Saja Kilani), also joins the call to help ease the girl’s anxieties during this difficult time, although she is becoming affected by the intense stress herself. Getting an ambulance to her location is proving difficult due to the many clearances necessary to guarantee safe passage, for which Mahdi (Amer Hlehel) is responsible for communicating with all the proper channels. But this red tape slows the process, which is another source of frustration for the entire team. As time passes, the urgency to rescue this little girl grows, and it becomes increasingly clear that it may be too late.
Even though the events captured are not technically in real time, there is still an immediacy to the events that pulls you into this incredibly compelling story. Kaouther Ben Hania chooses to blend both fictionalized and real-life material, as any conversation on the phone with Hind Rajab or other people using the service is actually recorded from the day. It never cheapens the moment; instead, it makes the pain sear into your mind with a much more impactful force. When this little girl describes the mangled, bloodied bodies of her family members in the car as “sleeping,” knowing this was the actual observation pierces your soul. Every conversation makes the outpouring of emotion feel even more genuine and grounded. As a viewer, you feel the tireless efforts of the characters as they attempt to move mountains to hasten help’s arrival. Hania blended mediums with her previous documentary “Four Daughters,” and she has a keen understanding of how fiction can emphasize reality, and vice versa. There’s a moment in which our characters are gathered around a table during the phone call, themselves being filmed. The cellphone’s screen shows us the real people from that day, with the actors sitting in front of them. There’s no attempt to match clothing or specific appearances exactly. A basic understanding that this reenactment is grounded in truth. It brings even greater relevance to the stakes, creating a captivating display of tension, rage, and heartbreak.
There are some occasions when you can feel the dramatization in choosing some conventional paths that feel tailored for a more traditional narrative. The call comes in right as Rana is just about to leave, which feels like the kind of coincidental timing that has been seen before, and that slightly undercuts the sense of realism the tone of the film is striving for. The canted angles can be effective in manifesting uneasiness and disorientation as the day’s stresses weigh on the characters, but their utilization borders on excessive. Still, for every filmmaking decision that seems too flamboyant, the rack focuses and reflective overlays inform us of the interconnected web of dialogue that is taking place. It’s a frustrating bureaucracy that needs to be navigated, established due to the likelihood that ambulances will still be targeted by enemy fire. Hania has a direct approach to let this story unfold, but lets the kinetic energy continue through every frame. Even in a single location, there’s enough variety in shot composition and lighting choices (one standout is the outside lights being refracted through the inside glass) to bring another level of creativity to the storytelling.
The small, concentrated group of actors all work effectively to make this intense drama even more engrossing. You feel the anger that Malhees channels into Omar, livid that channels can’t be bypassed to deliver this necessary aid. The desperation in his voice is palpable, and the rage he directs towards the relentless inaction is relatable on an instinctual level. Even though, from afar, you want Omar to be understanding about how hands are tied, you also agree with his sentiments, and his performance is exceptional. Nearly every scene with Kilani is a staggering feat of emotion, and it’s harrowing to watch her take on this burden and watch the psychological toll it’s taking. There’s both a steady hand and a devolving mental state she endures, making it a moving and soul-crushing portrayal. Hlehel doesn’t have as many variations with his character. Still, it suits a man who must stay in control within the sea of chaos that surrounds him, no matter how much it may seem that his patience is interrupted by cowardice. Clara Khoury is another manager at this facility who tries to provide a guiding hand. Her presence is endearing, particularly during a breaking exercise to relieve some stress that feels just as much for the audience as it does for the other characters. All the actors are incredible in their roles, making every scene even more absorbing through their efforts.
There’s one scene in “The Voice of Hind Rajab” in which Omar screams about a failed attempt to get the green light for a route to send in the ambulance. The phone call with the Red Cross concludes with an apology, and no further action is taken. The indignity he expresses is justified. Much of the world is distraught by the violence they see, but they don’t offer anything else besides sympathetic platitudes. The fight spills out between him and Mahdi, an intra-conflict about why they can’t seem to help their own people most efficiently. This single event becomes representative of the shades this conflict brings out, all borne out of an unwillingness to provide actual relief to those who need it, and the process by which constant sabotage seems to be at play. Hania’s filmmaking brings a sense of intimacy right to the screen, and she and the actors create an arresting film that is sure to incite the same kind of rage and tragedy these characters witness. It’s a powerful representation of the humanity that is being lost during this time, and as difficult as it may be to watch, we cannot look away from it.
