OSCARS 2026: The Voice of Hind Rajab (2025)

Something I've been thinking about a lot lately is the limits of documentary film making and cinema in general. What responsibility does a director have to his subject? The point at which journalism becomes exploitation, dramatization turns into a perversion of the truth, is hard to find sometimes. The question of whether it's appropriate to use real footage or audio within the context of a commercial film usually depends on this nebulous thing we call “good taste.” “The Voice of Hind Rajab” unavoidably brings this question to mind. It straddles the line between an adaptation of real events and a documentation of it, by using the actual audio from something tragic that is still fresh in the global consciousness. The ethics of all this are clearly something worth discussing. Whatever qualms you might have with the idea, it did not bother the Academy. They nominated “The Voice of Hind Rajab” for Best International Film. 

The day was January 29th, 2024. The invasion of Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces is on-going. The social workers and organizers of the Palestine Red Crescent Society take calls, texts, and e-mails from those endangered in the war, trying to do what they can to help. They receive a call from the 15 year old Layan Hamadeh. Her family was escaping the chaos when their vehicle was shelled by Israeli forces. Her aunt, uncle and all but one other cousin were killed. As the workers inside the Red Crescent office attempt to receive clearance for the safe passage of paramedics, Layan is killed. This leaves six year old Hind Rajab as the sole living person in the car. The operators Rana, Omar, Mahdi, and Nisreen stay on the line with the little girl as they do everything they can to get assistance to her before it's too late.

The moment from “The Voice of Hind Rajab” that sticks the most in my mind is among its more mundane. All throughout the film, Rana expresses anger and frustration with his supervisor, Mahdi. The latter is usually on the line with government officials, to approve safe passage for the paramedics into the war zone. While waiting for the call back they are seeking, both men retreat to the bathroom. Each sit on either side of a stall, on the floor, and pull out their cell phones. They begin to play some sort of game together. This scene, to me, captures so accurately the feeling of powerlessness in the face of a crisis. Both men have done everything they can in this awful situation. This does not bring them any comfort or solace, not when a child's life is in danger. All they can do for their own mental health is try and find a distraction for a few minutes. Anybody who has spent time in a waiting room while a loved one was in surgery or something similar can relate to this feeling. It's the same feeling we have any time history altering events are playing out a world away, something many of us have been experiencing lately. 

The inclusion of such a moment, seemingly unimportant, is a testament to the realism captured on “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” The opening titles of the film confirms what those who might not be familiar with these events can probably guess. Hind Rajab was killed by Israeli military forces that day, along with six family members and two paramedics. There's no doubt about what the heartbreaking conclusion to this story will be. Despite that, writer/director Kaouther Ben Hania manages to capture the sense of sickening uncertainty the people in the office that day felt. As they communicate with Hind, they try to get crucial information out of a panicking little girl. When that doesn't work, they attempt to calm her however they can. While it feels disrespectful to use this term about real events, “The Voice of Hind Rajab” operates very much like a thriller. You are on edge, almost feeling sick with tension, watching this play out. 

Part of this is achieved by the extremely concise cinematography and editing. D.P. Juan Sarmiento G. keeps the camera tightly on the actors' faces. The common place setting feels more and more like a prison as the wall seems to close in, speaking to the unbearable tension the characters are feeling. The actors also deserves a huge amount of the credit. Their faces become landscapes as they panic and worry. Saja Kilani is a raw nerve of desperation, crying, sweating, his face in agony. Clara Khoury is at the center of a heartbreaking moment, trying to get Hind to recite the Islamic prayer simply to keep her calm and quiet. Amer Hlehel has one of the harder job, playing a man who has to navigate the labyrinth of bureaucracy when time is very much of the matter. 

“The Voice of Hind Rajab” is certainly an extremely well made film, with fantastic performances and strong craft on display. This proves that the producers could have created a convincing re-creation of Hind's phone calls that day. The decision to use the actual voice of this dead little girl is presumably a choice of activism. The filmmakers want us to hear and feel what Hind went through, to remove any doubt in our minds about the genocide going on in Gaza. Of course, anyone likely to watch the film already know that. And this is when I begin to wonder, once again, if film making is actually effective activism. It's a powerful, distressing film and, perhaps, a tribute to those who work for Red Crescent. But it doesn't bring Hind back, help the children just like her, or stop the crimes being committed. So donate to aid in Gaza, please. [8/10]