Reviews
The Voice Of Hind Rajab
Reviewed by Ian Payne
Last week's 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' served as a reminder of the human cost of the conflict in Gaza, by focussing on one, true-life incident. News coverage is full of images of buildings destroyed and obscene numbers of dead and injured yet the impact is somehow diminished over time.
Horrific though the story is, the event unfolded like a film script and Writer/Director Kaouther Ben Hania did perfect justice to the people portrayed whilst keeping the audience on the edge of their seats as the drama played out. Using actual audio recordings from the day, the cast interact with the real-life voices (not to mention the background noise) of those tragically present.
Set entirely in a Red Crescent call centre where staff are exhausted and stressed after months of conflict. They receive a call about a girl trapped in a car in Gaza. On calling the number, they speak to the terrified girl until a burst of gunfire makes everything go quiet.
Another call comes in, from another girl in the same situation. Who is she? Is it the same incident? Painstakingly, call handler Omar and his supervisor Rana get the 6-year Hind to talk. She can see tanks. They are shooting at her. She needs to be rescued. Her family members are dead around her.
The Red Crescent has a rescue team 8 minutes away but there is bureaucracy in this war. Safe passage needs to be agreed with the IDF, a convoluted and time-consuming process. Tensions erupt as co-ordinator Mahdi refuses to authorise the rescue without getting the green light. A photo gallery on the wall of rescuers already killed in action is reason enough.
There is hope as the ambulance is finally dispatched, instantly dashed by the explosion on the audio. The final shots, showing the remains of the ambulance and the bullet-ridden car it was trying to reach, should be a lesson to us all.
Horrific though the story is, the event unfolded like a film script and Writer/Director Kaouther Ben Hania did perfect justice to the people portrayed whilst keeping the audience on the edge of their seats as the drama played out. Using actual audio recordings from the day, the cast interact with the real-life voices (not to mention the background noise) of those tragically present.
Set entirely in a Red Crescent call centre where staff are exhausted and stressed after months of conflict. They receive a call about a girl trapped in a car in Gaza. On calling the number, they speak to the terrified girl until a burst of gunfire makes everything go quiet.
Another call comes in, from another girl in the same situation. Who is she? Is it the same incident? Painstakingly, call handler Omar and his supervisor Rana get the 6-year Hind to talk. She can see tanks. They are shooting at her. She needs to be rescued. Her family members are dead around her.
The Red Crescent has a rescue team 8 minutes away but there is bureaucracy in this war. Safe passage needs to be agreed with the IDF, a convoluted and time-consuming process. Tensions erupt as co-ordinator Mahdi refuses to authorise the rescue without getting the green light. A photo gallery on the wall of rescuers already killed in action is reason enough.
There is hope as the ambulance is finally dispatched, instantly dashed by the explosion on the audio. The final shots, showing the remains of the ambulance and the bullet-ridden car it was trying to reach, should be a lesson to us all.