Director Kaouther Ben Hania has taken the audio from a real distress call to the Red Crescent, as well as some social media video of the responders taking the call, and crafted a film dramatization of the event. It is harrowing and powerful because of its literalness. What we are watching is actors playing real responders in a moment of real crisis. We even sometimes hear their voices. The one voice we really do hear is that of a little girl named Hind Rijab.
Film has been a medium to very effectively bring to light the horrors of war and The Voice of Hind Rajab joins a long legacy of powerful indictments of political violence. This is the story of just one family killed at the alter of armed conflict and yet it in many ways is the story of all.
It is also the story of those trying to save lives. What we watch in this film is the experience of those attempting to intervene to rescue those caught in the middle. They are heroes and they often fail. The Voice of Hind Rajab is not only a testament to the dead but to those who attempt to keep as many people alive as possible.
The Voice of Hind Rajab is heartbreaking yet in its way inspiring, as it brings into focus those real heroes of war. The helpers.
The Voice of Hind Rijab
Writer/Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
